Josh Buck

After the accident, Josh Buck couldn’t move at all. Today he can feed his baby boy a bottle. As Josh ran into the surf in Cancun, he never imagined it would change his life forever. A wave slammed him to the bottom, breaking a vertebra and leaving him paralyzed. After a flight to a Miami hospital, Josh was brought to Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital, where he was admitted to the Spinal Cord Injury Program. The therapists tailored his rehab to help address his practical needs, like wheelchair mobility, muscle strengthening and the wrist movement he puts to use every day just being dad.




 

Susan Riddle

For a month and a half, Susan Riddle couldn’t remember anything. Now she has her rhythm back. After barely surviving a serious car accident, Susan was left with no memory. Family and friends urged her admission to Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital. During her time in the Brain Injury Program, Susan started at square one, learning how to swallow, how to brush her teeth, and other things we take for granted. After more than a month of therapy, her memories finally returned. Today, Susan is getting back into the tempo of her life, building new memories and playing in the church band.

Rich Hamill

A high school senior, on his way up north for some skiing with his buddies, Rich Hamill never made it to the slopes. The van he was riding in hit black ice and ran into a bridge. All four passengers were thrown from the vehicle. Rich’s injuries left him paralyzed from the neck down.

After surgery on his neck, he was transferred to Mary Free Bed where he spent the next three months. Rich was young and very motivated to do everything he could to get out of the hospital in time for his high school graduation. He was supposed to be in the hospital for six months, but with determination and the help of his doctors, he made the goal of attending his graduation a reality.

Now, almost 15 years later, Rich is living a very active life working in sales and doing motivational speaking in Scottsdale, Arizona. 

Ruthie Schmeichel

Born 16 weeks premature, tiny Ruthie Schmeichel had plenty of battles ahead of her. Yet she survived the traumas of the neonatal intensive care unit, including heart surgery, lung trouble and pneumonia. “She only weighed 1 1/2 pounds,” her mother Jenni says, “but she beat the odds.”

Unfortunately, a long bout with severe acid reflux caused feeding issues that began to threaten Ruthie’s progress. She developed abnormal swallowing that made eating painful and frustrating for her. After consulting with their pediatrician and several other doctors, her parents enrolled her in the Pediatric Feeding Program at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital. “They all agreed it was the best place to go to get the expert help Ruthie needed,” says Jenni.

The toddler worked on an outpatient basis with therapists and a nutritionist to learn how to properly use her mouth and her tongue so she could eat appropriate foods and gain the weight she needed. “With preemies, it’s so important that they continue to gain weight to continue their progress,” explains Jenni.

The therapists taught Ruthie and her parents how to use tools to ‘wake up’ Ruthie’s mouth. They also taught her how to break up food with her teeth and to retrain her tongue as a muscle. Things that most children her age take for granted.

With all the hurdles she’s already faced in her life, Ruthie’s progress is further proof of her spirit. “Before coming to Mary Free Bed,” says Jenni, “she would scream when we put her in her high chair.” Today, like any two-year-old, Ruthie is actually happy to eat her macaroni and cheese.




 

Tom Weaver

Tom Weaver and a friend were cruising along the winding Blue Ridge Parkway on their motorcycles, enjoying the freedom of the road and the scenic mountain views. Then one of the twists in the road took him by surprise. “I missed the left-hand curve and my buddy saw me hit the guard rail,” says Tom.

Tom spent 11 days in a North Carolina trauma center and two more weeks in a Grand Rapids ICU before being transferred to Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital. His injuries left him paralyzed from the waist down. Yet because of the support and expertise of the doctors, nurses and therapists in the Mary Free Bed Spinal Cord Injury Program, he still had hope.

“When I was first admitted,” he explains, “I had to be hydraulically lifted from the bed to a wheelchair for my therapy sessions.” Tom spent the next 2 1/2 months working hard to regain his independence. “The therapists and nurses have a feeling for how far they can push you. They would push to get me to do things on my own – which really helped my recovery.”

One of Tom’s biggest accomplishments while at Mary Free Bed was his completion of the driver rehabilitation program. He learned to drive a vehicle with special controls that he can operate with his hands. Today he drives his own modified van, getting around town with no assistance at all.

His rehabilitation has given Tom back his freedom. He’s even been able to return to his full-time job at Jenison High School, where he teaches mathematics – and optimism. “No one at Mary Free Bed ever told me, ‘You won’t be able to do that,’” he says.

Kyle Tobaison

Kyle Tobaison was driving home from a concert on a February evening. No one knows if bad weather or falling asleep at the wheel was the cause, but his car rolled over twice and, because he wasn’t wearing his seatbelt, Kyle was thrown out into the road. “A truck driver found me lying there,” says Kyle.

Or so he was told. The thing is, Kyle can’t remember anything about his car accident. He also can’t remember spending 13 days in critical ICU, 8 of them in a coma due to blood in his brain. What he can remember is waking up at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital.

Kyle’s family chose to have him admitted to the Brain Injury Program because they knew he’d receive the most comprehensive care available in the region. “I couldn’t walk when I was admitted,” he explains. “And I had a lot of memory problems.” The rehabilitation team worked with Kyle to provide specialized care that focused on helping him regain his speech and mental functions as well as his mobility.

Although recovering from a traumatic accident requires a lot of hard work and commitment from the patient, “the nursing staff and therapists made the experience a lot of fun,” says Kyle. “I was totally motivated.” So motivated that he was released a month later to continue his treatment on an outpatient basis.

Today Kyle is ready to go back to work. “They tell you that someone who suffered the injuries that I did can expect to return to work in a year and a half,” he says. “It’s only been ten months.” Thanks to the dedicated experts at Mary Free Bed, Kyle’s recovering faster than anyone ever imagined.