Patient Stories

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Do you have a story you'd like to share about your experience as a patient at Spectrum Health?

Patient Story

Rare and exceptional

After dozens of surgeries, 18-year-old Jacob Taylor undergoes his most complex one: Surgeons implant custom-designed prosthetic jaw bones.

Patient Story

Pedaling away from pain

Jerry VanStrien, 57, biked across the country after a vascular procedure cured his chronic pain and leg problems.

Patient Story

A virtual voyage on a treacherous Sunday

Remote video conferencing lets patients stay home as they connect virtually to doctors for diagnosis.

Patient Story

‘I’m so happy to be here’

When Don Fournier was in danger of bleeding to death after a snowmobile accident, a small, innovative device came to his rescue.

Patient Story

COPD: One family fights back

Sharing a common diagnosis, sisters come together to fight the encroaching disease through pulmonary rehab.

Patient Story

‘A lot of candles on our cake’

Sixteen-year-old Lizzie planned to take part in Project Night Lights—just not as a patient.

Patient Story

‘Getting back to normal’

For 8-year-old leukemia survivor Dawson Babiak, a bearded dragon named Fluffy is a symbol of being healthy.

Patient Story

‘I can do anything … It’s just amazing’

Former baseball hopeful Terry Fewless gets his life back thanks to newer technology for clearing clogged arteries.

Patient Story

Feeling like Iron Man

At 53, Mark Lackey didn't know how much longer he would live. But then a team of experts crafted a unique fix for the hole in his heart.

Patient Story

‘It means so much’

A man reunites with the nurse who helped deliver him in 1984 for a special photo recreation with his own baby.

Patient Story

‘Not the end of the world’

A young athlete overcomes an ACL tear with the help of a forward-thinking doctor and a relatively new treatment.

Patient Story

‘We’re not going to let this define her’

The Klotz family manages daughter Kamryn's cystic fibrosis with grace, trusting medical breakthroughs will escort her through a long and beautiful life.