Sue Thoms is a writer and storyteller who joined Health Beat after a 30-year career at The Grand Rapids Press. She loves writing stories that shine a light on the resilience and beauty of the human spirit. In addition to medical features, she writes fiction and has published six picture books for children. Michigan born and raised, Sue enjoys exploring the state with her family―especially the lakes, sand dunes and ski hills. Contact her at susan.thoms@spectrumhealth.org.
A first-time mom donates her baby’s umbilical cord blood in hopes of saving a stranger’s life.
It took a team of specialists to deliver Willow safely. At 4 days, she underwent surgery. Through everything, her parents see God’s blessings.
Jeremy Rootes' immune cells are trained to recognize and destroy his lymphoma cells in CAR T-cell therapy, a groundbreaking cancer treatment.
Asked if he wanted to undergo a groundbreaking surgery to rebuild his heart, 11-year-old Trent Ahlefeld said, ‘I’ll take a risk to make myself feel better.”
A teenager gifted in math overcomes his illness one step at a time.
After undergoing da Vinci robotic surgery to remove her lung cancer, Roxanne Nelson is amazed at how quickly she has rebounded.
Four newcomers crack the top-10 baby name lists this year.
Bagpipe music heralds a big milestone for a woman completing her second-last infusion of her breast cancer treatment.
Here are ways to get a grip on stress today and into the new year.
Pediatric cardiologists use 3D viewing technology to plan how to re-route and replace a teenager’s blood vessel.
Medical teams from two hospitals work through the night to save the lives of a mother and her newborn child.
Little Kaleb Rietema is full of surprises. It began on day 1, when he defied the best-laid plans for his birth.
