A HealthBeat Special Series

Impact

Spectrum Health offers world-class care with an unrivaled breadth and depth of clinical services.

Patient Story

The vestiges of war

Vietnam veteran Patrick Wilson, a former smoker, underwent surgery for lung cancer—only to learn he had an enlarged aorta, too.

Patient Story

‘I knew I was down and out’

When knee pain meant she had to give up walking her beloved dog, Elizabeth Winstanley realized the time had come for surgery.

Patient Story

A red flag

Chris Groenheide knew she couldn't dismiss an irregular cycle as the beginning stage of menopause. A series of tests led to a troubling diagnosis: cancer.

Patient Story

‘I give thanks’

A free health program aims to help John Earl Day Jr., 54, find a path out of homelessness—and back to good health.

Patient Story

‘One in a million’

When a pizza-loving 10-year-old boy could no longer eat food without getting sick, his parents struggled to find out why.

Patient Story

Holding hands with a chimpanzee

When Susie developed an odd lump on the back of her wrist, hand surgeon Peter Jebson, MD, made a house call to the zoo.

Patient Story

‘A 5 percent chance of living’

After battling back from a devastating brain injury suffered in a car crash, this young man walks side-by-side with his mom as he stakes claim to a new life.

Patient Story

‘In charge of your own health’

Amid mounting health concerns, 65-year-old Mozella Taylor turned to prayer for answers—and she soon found guidance in her quest for better health.

Patient Story

‘The big step’

As a 3-year-old, Violet spent months fighting bladder and kidney infections. After a complex ureteral repair, she’s back to her “sweet, healthy” self.

Patient Story

‘It is the hardest day’

Two boys, both born early, fill the Neubert family with joy.

Patient Story

Goodbye to Gus

After undergoing minimally invasive surgery to remove a football-sized spleen he nicknamed Gus, 11-year-old Benjamin Wayne is ready to conquer the world.

Patient Story

‘He got all the cancer out of me’

The average age for pancreatic cancer diagnosis is 71. John Morris hit it on the nail. But now, he's defying the odds.