Rehabilitationships

In our next episode of Rehabilitationships, a podcast from Mary Free Bed, we keep up with the “Meet the Team” series. For this podcast, we talked with clinicians from the Great Lakes Bay Region who work at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation at Covenant HealthCare. 

Our discussions include a nurse, a therapist, and a prosthetist, all who share their motivation for working in rehabilitation and the special connections they form with patients. Those interviews include:

Tracy Brettrager, RN, Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation at Covenant HealthCare – (1:16)

Tracy is a registered nurse who works on the inpatient rehabilitation team at Mary Free Bed at Covenant. She started her nursing career in long-term care and recently moved into rehabilitation. Tracy shares a story about one of her patients taking their first steps after a brain injury.

Jacqueline Kareus, PT, Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation at Covenant HealthCare – (8:49)

Jacqueline works in the outpatient team as a physical therapist. She has 12 years’ experience in orthopedic therapy. Jacqueline tells how she saw therapists help her grandmother regain mobility after a broken hip, and how that inspired her to work in health care.

Ben Hogan, CPO, Mary Free Bed at Covenant Orthotics & Prosthetics + Bionics – (19:18)

Ben is a Certified Prosthetist and Orthotist at Mary Free Bed at Covenant. Before getting into prosthetics, Ben worked as a bicycle mechanic. During our conversation he shares some similarities between the two.

We’ll be back with more conversations from the team at Mary Free Bed in our next episode. Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. 

We’d love to hear your feedback. Send us a note at podcast@maryfreebed.com. 

If you, a family member, or friend are looking to make an impact in your career, come join our team. Visit Mary Free Bed.com/careers to find our job postings.

We’re back with another episode of Rehabilitationships, a podcast from Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation. We are usually digging into the intersection of rehabilitation and relationships by pairing up a patient with their clinician for a great conversation.

For the next couple episodes, we are going to break from that format to get to know some of the team at Mary Free Bed. We will be talking with health care professionals across our rehabilitation system.

In these discussions, we’ll learn about the different types of clinicians we have helping patients in their recovery. They’ll also share what makes them tick and why they keep coming back day after day to serve others.

In this episode, we feature three of the team from Grand Rapids. They are:

Andrew Young, PT, DPT, physical therapist at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital - (1:40)

Andrew works as an inpatient physical therapist and has seven years’ experience in outpatient therapy. He talks about his work as part of Mary Free Bed’s medically complex team and how he got into rehabilitation.

Rebecca Brower, RRT, respiratory therapist at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital - (14:28)

Next, we shine the spotlight on respiratory therapy and how it’s included in rehabilitation. We talk with Rebecca who works in the Intensive Medical Rehabilitation Unit at Mary Free Bed, and how she’s seen her team grow at the hospital.

Adam Lamm, MD, Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital - (27:59)

Teaching the future of rehabilitation is vital to Adam Lamm, MD, at Mary Free Bed. When Dr. Lamm isn’t seeing patients on the outpatient side, he’s leading the hospital’s Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Residency program. Learn more about his work as a physiatrist and why it’s important to the hospital to host its residency program.

We’ll be back in our next episode with conversations from the team at Mary Free Bed at Covenant HealthCare. Keep an eye on your feed for that, and in the meantime, make sure to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

We’d love to hear your feedback and any story ideas you might have for future episodes. Send us a note at podcast@maryfreebed.com.

If you, a family member or friend are looking to make a move and make an impact in your career, come join our team. Visit MaryFreeBed.com/careers to find our job postings.

Here’s the conclusion to our story with Spencer Cobb. Spencer was in his senior year of high school when a diving accident changed his life. He spent four months at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital going through inpatient rehabilitation.

For the podcast we sat down with him, his mom Allison, and his occupational therapist Sydney Krol, on the day before Spencer returned home from the hospital. 

In the first episode, we talked about Spencer’s life before the accident, how the injury happened and what the initial recovery was like. If you missed that episode, jump back in your podcast feed and give it a listen.

In this second episode, we’ll hear about the relationships Spencer made during his rehabilitation, a few fun and unique experiences he had at Mary Free Bed and what he learned through it all.

After that, I called Spencer up and touched base with him on how he’s been since leaving the hospital. We hear about his progress in outpatient therapy and what’s next for him.

It’s a great story, so enjoy this episode of Rehabilitationships!

Learn more about Rehabilitationships, a podcast from Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation. Every episode we are highlighting the intersection of rehabilitation and relationships. Make sure to rate, review and subscribe for more stories like this. 

If you or your family member is in need of rehabilitation, find out how you can Ask for Mary.

We are back with a new season of Rehabilitationships, a podcast from Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation. Every episode we are highlighting the intersection of rehabilitation and relationships.  

To start off our second season, we are meeting an all-state high school athlete from Spring Lake, Michigan. 

Spencer Cobb was just starting his senior year and really coming into his own on the swim team. His life was changed forever when he sustained a spinal cord injury, taking away his ability to walk and swim.

In the next two podcast episodes, we recorded on Spencer’s last day of inpatient rehabilitation at Mary Free Bed. Spencer was joined by his mother, Allison Cobb, and his occupational therapist, Sydney Krol.

Despite it being a tough journey, our conversation was filled with smiles and laughs.

In this first episode, we learn more about Spencer. We hear about the injury, his initial recovery and the beginning of his rehabilitation.

Next week, we’ll be back in your podcast feeds for the rest of the story. We also include a recent update with Spencer, to see how he’s doing after leaving the hospital.

It’s a great start to our new season, I hope you enjoy!

Learn more about Rehabilitationships and make sure to rate, review and subscribe for more stories like this. 

If you or your family member is in need of rehabilitation, find out how you can Ask for Mary. 

We are excited to start a new season of Rehabilitationships, a podcast from Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation.

This is the show where we pair real patients with their real clinicians to hear real stories of recovery. 

We are just finishing our first year of the podcast, so we wanted to take the opportunity to celebrate and look back at the past stories we’ve shared. Then, we wanted to look forward to all the great upcoming stories we have on the horizon!

Stay tuned for our next full episode as we start season two!

We are back and wrapping up the 2nd part of our newest Rehabilitationships story, a real story of recovery, from real patients and real clinicians. 

This is the conclusion to the story featuring Peggy Maniates, executive director of the USS Silverside Submarine Museum. In the first episode, we heard from Peggy about her work at the museum and how complications following a surgery led to nerve damage and the loss of function and feeling in one of her legs.

Not being able to walk made it difficult for Peggy to share her love of the museum and get inside the submarine.

Fortunately for Peggy, she heard about Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation and got connected with the team and physical therapist Mark Stevens.

If you missed the first part of their story, jump back in your podcast feed and give it a listen.

Now for this episode, we pick up when Mark and Peggy started to work together with therapy goals, including a big one of getting back into the submarine.

Read more about Peggy and see photos of her on the submarine.

And since we’ve recorded this episode, Peggy taken a new opportunity to lead the Wright Museum of World War II in New Hampshire. Congrats Peggy!

Learn more about Rehabilitationships and make sure to rate, review and subscribe for more stories like this.

If you or your family member is in need of physical therapy, just Ask for Mary. No matter where it hurts, we can help.

Make an appointment or get more information here.

For our next episodes of Rehabilitationships, we took a dive and recorded on location. Our guest for this episode is a history expert and what a better way to relive history than seeing it firsthand.

Our guest for this episode of podcast is Peggy Maniates. She’s the former executive director of the USS Silversides Submarine Museum, a submarine from World War II.

Peggy shares her story of when she had hip replacement surgery and then developed femoral neuropathy. Weakness and loss of feeling in her leg significantly affected her ability to move, limiting her to using a walker and wheelchair.

She’s joined on the show by Mark Stevens, a physical therapist at Mary Free Bed. He met Peggy and began working with her, when she was looking for help to regain some strength and ability. All with the hopes of getting back into the submarine.

For this two-part story, we journeyed into the submarine to record and tell this special story.

Read more about Peggy and see photos of her on the submarine.

Learn more about Rehabilitationships and make sure to rate, review and subscribe for more stories like this.

If you or your family member is in need of physical therapy, just Ask for Mary. No matter where it hurts, we can help.

Make an appointment or get more information here.

Rehabilitationships is back with the conclusion of a two-part episode. How does a recovery from a brain injury lead to a new leader at a hospital?

We are talking with the CEO of Mary Free Bed, Kent Riddle, and his wife Susan, as they share about their car crash from 20 years ago, and how that experience led him to his leadership role at the hospital.

Back again for these episodes is our special guest host, Phil Tower. He’s a longtime radio broadcaster, turned podcast host and consultant. 

If you missed the first episode, jump back into your podcast feed to give it a listen. We’re going to pick up after the accident, when Susan is back home after her rehabilitation at Mary Free Bed, and Kent is on the board of hospital.

In this episode, Kent will share about when he was asked to lead the hospital as CEO. He also shares about the early days of his leadership as the hospital was faced with big decisions about its future.

Susan will talk about her decision to go back to school and get her occupational therapy assistant degree. She shared about what giving back to others meant to her.

Both Kent and Susan talk about the importance of the Mary Free Bed Guild, and how it impacts all aspects of the hospital.

Susan and Kent also reflect on how this whole experience effected their relationship and their family. 

It’s a great episode that truly highlights the intersection of rehabilitation and relationships.

We’d love to hear your feedback and any story ideas you might have for future episodes. Send us a note at podcast@maryfreebed.com.

Learn more about Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation.

Learn more about Rehabilitationships.

How did a simple trip to the laundromat change a family and later a hospital system forever? We find out in the newest episode of Rehabilitationships.

 In this two-part episode, we talk to Mary Free Bed President and CEO Kent Riddle and his wife Susan Riddle. With such a special episode, we brought in a guest host, long-time radio host turned podcast consultant, Phil Tower.

 For this episode, we dive into Kent and Susan’s background story. Twenty years ago, Kent and Susan and one of their four kids were involved in a major car crash that changed Susan’s life forever. Together with Phil, they retell their story of recovery and more at Mary Free Bed.

 Listen to the first episode now and hear the conclusion of their story next week.

 Learn more about Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation.

 Learn more about Rehabilitationships.

We are back with another special episode of Rehabilitationships. In this episode, we recorded on location at “Bikes for the Rest of Us.”

This annual event hosted at Mary Free Bed helps over 50 children and adults with varying abilities get introduced and personally fitted for adaptive bicycling.

Over the episode we talk to organizers, participants, volunteers and vendors to find out how the event makes such an impact.

The participants were pre-registered and paired with therapists who assisted in matching their physical needs with the most appropriate biking equipment. Whether the children or adults have had a life-altering event or were born with a disability, this event made it easy for people to try multiple bikes and find the best one for them.  

More than 50 volunteers, including Mary Free Bed therapists, nurses and staff helped give new access to recreational cycling that promotes health and wellness. “Bikes for the Rest of Us” has taken place for over 20 years and thanks to a donation from the Mary Free Bed Guild, participants will receive funding to help offset the cost of the new adapted bicycles.

Biking equipment was provided by Airway Mobility & Rehab, West Michigan Bike and Fitness, AMBUCS and Creative Mobility. Participants who grew out of their bikes were able to bring in their old one to donate to another family. Also, every rider was fitted with a free helmet, thanks to the Kiwanis Clubs of Urbandale/Battle Creek and Grand Rapids.

On International Nurses Day, we’re wrapping up a two-part story for our ‘Rehabilitationships’ podcast. 

This is the story of Annie Cangco and Kathie Fetting, two nurses who met in 2019, following a devastating super typhoon in Saipan.

Annie was staying in a shelter with her family, including her eldest son Bradley, who was living with a spinal cord injury following a car crash.

Kathie, a nurse at Mary Free Bed, was volunteering with the American Red Cross for disaster relief. Kathie and Annie met and quickly formed a friendship, as they worked together to help her son.

This episode picks up the story when Kathie returns to the U.S., and starts working to find a way to bring her new friends to Mary Free Bed.

On this International Nursing Day, listen the episode below to learn what truly makes a good nurse, and why nursing is more than the career, it’s a calling.

If you’re interested in changing a life, including yours, become a nurse at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation. We’re looking for nursing staff who’ll bring hope, love and inspiration to patients – and each other. Find out more by visiting: maryfreebed.com/nursing.

For more on Mary Free Bed’s ‘Rehabilitationships’ Podcast: https://www.maryfreebed.com/rehabilitationship-podcast/ 

Find out how you can volunteer at the American Red Cross: https://www.redcross.org/about-us/our-work/disaster-relief.html 

For National Nurses Week, our newest episode of Rehabilitationships takes a trip across the Pacific.

su·per ty·phoon - /ˈso͞opər tīˈfo͞on/

Definition: a destructive force inspiring the community to respond…

Annie Cangco lived in Saipan, a small island in the western Pacific Ocean and a commonwealth of the United States.

Annie was a caregiver for her family, including her eldest son who was living with a spinal cord injury. 

Her family’s world was devasted in 2018, when a super typhoon hit the island, leaving half of it destroyed.

Kathie Fetting is a registered nurse who works at Mary Free Bed. At the time of the typhoon, she was also volunteering with the American Red Cross in disaster relief. 

After seeing the news of the destruction in Saipan, Kathie backed up her bag and shipped out to help.

In the first episode of a two-part story, Annie and Kathie share their story of how a super typhoon brought them together.

You’ll hear from Annie about life on the island, her son’s accident and when the storm first hit. Kathie shares her story as well – including her journey into nursing and the Red Cross, and her first experiences of the typhoon damage.

We’ll share the conclusion of their story Thursday, May 12, on International Nurses Day.

Feeling inspired to change a life too? Mary Free Bed is looking for nursing staff who’ll bring hope, love and inspiration to patients – and each other. Find out how you can join our nursing team here: https://www.maryfreebed.com/nursing-careers/ 

For more on Mary Free Bed’s ‘Rehabilitationships’ Podcast: https://www.maryfreebed.com/rehabilitationship-podcast/ 

Find out how you can volunteer at the American Red Cross: https://www.redcross.org/about-us/our-work/disaster-relief.html 

In a special episode of “Rehabilitationships,” we recorded on location at the Griff’s Sled Hockey Classic, a sled hockey tournament featuring over 200 athletes with disabilities.

ˈsled ˈhä-kē 

adaptation of ice hockey designed for players with varying physical abilities.

A highly competitive Paralympic sport, sled hockey is similar to traditional hockey, except participants sit on bladed sleds. It’s ideal for competitive and recreational athletes with lower-limb-affected disabilities. Earlier this year, the U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey team won their fourth consecutive gold medal.

Players use shortened hockey sticks with a blade on one end and a pick on the other, which enables them to propel across the ice. Just like in traditional hockey, checking, penalties and hard slap shots are abundant.

In this conversation, we talk with the coach of the Grand Rapids Junior Sled Wings, Steve Kozlowski. We are joined by Megan Bouman, sports coordinator at Mary Free Bed Wheelchair and Adaptive Sports. Two athletes from the Junior Sled Wings and the Future Sled Wings jump in on the conversation, too.

Learn more about Mary Free Bed’s Wheelchair and Adaptive Sports program, who proudly supports the teams: https://www.maryfreebed.com/services/wheelchair-adaptive-sports/ 

The Grand Rapids Junior Sled Wings are also supported by the Grand Rapids Griffins Youth Foundation: https://www.griffinskids.org/ 

Watch livestreams of some of the games from the tournament at Sled Wings Radio: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGV4v-w-YXnO7B8Czbx2R0A 

Hear the conclusion of Liz Fanco and Todd Buckingham’s story in the latest episode of ‘Rehabilitationships.’

If you haven’t listened to the first episode, jump back in your feed to check it out. We going to pick up where that story left off. 

Liz Fanco is a mother of eight kids, who has been overweight her whole adult life. She was inspired to start running when two of her kids asked her to join them in half marathon. The motivation for this, was that the race was raising funds for World Vision and to help solve the global water crisis.

In our previous episode, Liz shared how she ran for years with no progress, until she met Todd Buckingham, Ph.D., exercise physiologist at Mary Free Bed’s Sports Performance Lab.

Liz started use the AlterG treadmill, a high-tech device that allows Liz to lower her body weight when running. During that process, Todd discovered that Liz was running wrong for years!

So now we pick up with the story as Liz and Todd share more about the services Liz received at Mary Free Bed, how she ran the New York City Marathon and what’s next for her.

For more info on the Sports Performance Lab: https://www.maryfreebed.com/services/sports-rehabilitation/sports-performance-lab/

Learn more about Liz and see her interview on the Today Show: https://www.maryfreebed.com/stories/mom-interviewed-on-today-show-after-losing-115-pounds-with-mary-free-bed-sports-performance-assistance/ 

For more information on ‘Rehabilitationships’: https://www.maryfreebed.com/podcast/ 

In the next episode of Mary Free Bed’s new podcast, “Rehabilitationships,” we meet a mother of eight breaking barriers.

 An·ti·grav·i·ty – Definition – the antithesis of weight; defying the forces of gravity

Liz Fanco and her husband Jeff have eight children and live in Caledonia, Michigan. She was asked by two of her kids to join them in a half marathon. Her kids asked her, so she said yes.

The problem was, Liz has been overweight her whole life. She had never even run a mile before either.

The thing is, this wasn’t just any race, it was racing for a cause. Liz was inspired to support World Vision and raise funds to help people access clean water.

“As long, as I can move my feet,” Says Liz Fanco, “I’ll keep moving them until the global water crisis is solved.”

Liz moved her feet for three years, for thousands of miles, but she hated running. She just wanted to find a way to “hate running less.”

Then she met Todd. Todd Buckingham, Ph.D., is an exercise physiologist at Mary Free Bed’s Sports Rehabilitation Performance Lab.

They met, because she heard of this treadmill, an AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill. It might, just might help her to “hate running less.”

Hear Liz and Todd share about how their journey together in their own words. Learn about Liz’s amazing transformation and how she defied gravity, on the next episode of “Rehabilitationships.”

This story is so good, we had to spilt it up into two parts. The first episode is available today, in the player below, and the second half will hit podcast feeds in two weeks.

For more information on Rehabilitationships: https://www.maryfreebed.com/podcast/

For more info on the Sports Performance Lab: https://www.maryfreebed.com/services/sports-rehabilitation/sports-performance-lab/

Here's a teaser to our upcoming episode of "Rehabilitationships," called "An·ti·grav·i·ty."

In this next episode, you'll meet Liz, a mother of eight kids, who asked by two of her kids to run a half marathon with them. 

She said yes, and that started in motion, a journey that changed her life, her family's life, and lives around the world.

Listen to this teaser podcast to get just a glimpse of the full "Rehabilitationships" story to come.

The complete story will be a two-part episode, coming out Tuesday April 5th, and Tuesday April 19th.

Keep an eye on your podcast feed.

crick·et - /ˈkrikit/ - definition: an insect notorious for its bold leaps and musical chirping sounds

On our first episode of “Rehabilitationships,” we talk with Bryce Burnette. Bryce, a young man from Kalamazoo, Michigan, loves music. He also loves his job, working at a cricket farm. That’s right – a cricket farm!

Bryce’s life changed in an instant in a rollover car crash. He sustained a spinal cord injury, losing almost all function and sensation from his neck down. 

Five days after the accident, Bryce transferred to Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital, where he met Laura Meengs, a physical therapist on the inpatient spinal cord injury team. Laura and Bryce’s entire team worked to help him regain his strength and function. 

After weeks of hard work, Bryce was able to walk out of the hospital and continue his recovery at home. He also returned to his music and the cricket farm.

Listen to our first episode of “Rehabilitationships” to hear Bryce and Laura share their story together. Find out how rehabilitation and relationships work together to make this recovery sing.

Learn more about Bryce's story here: https://www.maryfreebed.com/rehabilitationships-podcast-launches-with-inspiring-story-of-cricket-farmers-recovery/

Here's a teaser for our first episode of “Rehabilitationships," when we will talk with Bryce Burnette. Bryce, a young man from Kalamazoo, Michigan, loves music. He also loves his job, working at a cricket farm. That’s right – a cricket farm!

This new podcast from Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation shares stories about the intersection of rehabilitation and relationships. 

Stay tuned to your podcast feed for the full episode of “Rehabilitationships,” to find out what made this recovery sing!

Read more about this story here: https://www.maryfreebed.com/rehabilitationships-podcast-launches-with-inspiring-story-of-cricket-farmers-recovery/

What are “rehabilitationships”? Simply put, it’s where rehabilitation and relationships meet.

We set out to discover and share what it really takes to make an extraordinary recovery from an injury or illness, and that’s where the “Rehabilitationships” podcast got its start.

At Mary Free Bed, we know a thing or two about rehabilitation. For over 130 years, we’ve been changing lives and restoring hope and freedom through rehabilitation.

But if you ask our patients, it’s the relationships that set us apart – the connections they’ve made with their therapists, nurses, doctors and everyone who makes a recovery possible. You could say rehabilitation is in our DNA, but relationships are at our heart.

In this new podcast, Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation brings you real stories of recovery from real patients and real clinicians. Join us each month, when we have conversations with real people, who will share their extraordinary experiences of hope and recovery through rehabilitation.

In each episode, released monthly, patients are joined by their clinicians as they chronicle their shared journey. You’ll hear about the challenges they faced and the breakthroughs they made together. 

In this trailer you'll hear just a sample of the stories we'll dive into for future episodes. We are so excited to share this with you!