When Brooklyn was born, her left leg didn’t have knee or ankle joints. Her parents faced the difficult decision to amputate Brooklyn’s left leg to improve her mobility. Brooklyn doesn’t let her limb difference slow her down. She runns around and plays in the mud just like any other kid. Brooklyn’s fun personality shines through. This pose [...]

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Jon is not the same person he was before the accident. According to his wife, he’s much milder and nicer. He appreciates his friends and family differently, and makes sure to say “I love you”. Many people who are told they weren’t expected to live tend to have at this new kind of perspective on [...]

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Patients and staff offer an in-depth look at amputation rehabilitation at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital. Learn about everything from inpatient care to therapy to being fitted for a prosthetic device. Hear from Dr. Benjamin Bruinsma (physiatrist), Jennifer McWain (physical therapist), and John King (prosthetist) as well as from amputee patients.

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by Kate Snider, www.KateSnider.com Santiago Morales was using a table saw at the farm where he worked to cut a 2×4. A blade grabbed a nail in the wood and cut off his finger. He remembers grabbing his finger because it was just hanging there and walking to the farm’s office for help. Santiago was [...]

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by Stephanie Millis Sierra Miller won the gold medal in the kayak event at the United States Canoe Association (USCA) Nationals, held in Newaygo, on August 9. Fifteen-year-old Sierra lost her leg in a lawn mower accident at seven years old. Initially, doctors told Sierra’s parents that even though Sierra’s leg would be amputated below [...]

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by Kate Snider, Mary Free Bed writer Dennis Vandereist wasn’t wearing a seatbelt when he was in a car accident and was thrown out of his vehicle in July 2002. After another vehicle hit his, Dennis’s car hit a fire hydrant and rolled. Even though Dennis was thrown out of the vehicle, his left leg was pinned [...]

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by Mary Free Bed writer, Kate Snider Melanie Johnson was just 5 miles from home when she was struck by a drunk driver. She was riding her motorcycle to her nephew’s football game in September 2004. “I knew it was really bad when I heard the helicopter. I remember thinking, if they had to call [...]

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by Kate Snider, www.KateSnider.com, Mary Free Bed writer In 1977, Dave Duperron was a 37-year-old firefighter in Taylor, Michigan. He was married with three children and was a fire inspector at the time of his amputation. As a fire inspector, Dave would go help the firefighters when they needed an extra pair of hands. Dave [...]

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by Amanda Larsen, Mary Free Bed writer A competitive athlete, Katie VanDam knows how to set goals and exceed them. When she stepped into a crosswalk on an October evening, she didn’t know how her life and her goals would change. A speeding SUV struck Katie and threw her into the middle of the road. [...]

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by Jess Venlet, Mary Free Bed writer Mary Free Bed launched a new advertising campaign June 1. This post is the first in a series of the rehabilitation and recovery stories of all the real Mary Free Bed patients featured in our new commercials and billboards. Just moments after I say, “Thank you, Maria. Bye.” [...]

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