Posted on May 4, 2020

Cindy marks her recovery a year after crash with video thanking doctors

Cindy Broekhuizen recently celebrated a milestone and wanted to mark the occasion with her doctors and team at Mary Free Bed. But with the COVID-19 pandemic cutting off visitation to the hospital, Cindy created a video to show her appreciation instead.

She and her husband, Barry, agreed to let us share it with everyone.

Cindy came to Mary Free Bed for rehabilitation after a bad crash in the spring of 2019. She spent a week at Bronson Hospital in Kalamazoo recovering from numerous injuries, including many that left her wondering if she’d be able to walk again.

“It was at Mary Free Bed that I learned that I was not going to be just OK, but I was going to be OK on my own,” Cindy says in the video.

Cindy used a wheelchair for three months and endured seven surgeries and months of physical therapy, which still continues. During the two weeks she spent at Mary Free Bed, she was a patient of Dr. Stuart Yablon and Dr. Thomas Hordt.

“You encouraged me, laughed and cried with me. Most importantly you made me believe that I could stand, walk and someday, run again,” Cindy says in the video. “You helped me find hope.”

She sent “huge, virtual, social distancing-acceptable hugs” to Mary Free Bed. And we feel them.