David Stults was diagnosed in 2010 with popcorn lung. While his condition is irreversible, he's trying his best to reverse the actions of students who vape. (Taylor Ballek | Spectrum Health Beat)
Luke Anhalt's heart stopped beating on the basketball court. Quick action from a coach and Spectrum Health Helen DeVos Children's Hospital specialists soon had him back on the court and into the homecoming court. (Taylor Ballek | Spectrum Health Beat)
All the latest technologies and techniques, a host of medical specialists gowned and gloved, a bright operating room filled with beeping monitors—all the king’s horses and all the king’s men—came together to usher Willow Emma Grace Fessenden safely into the world. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
Michigan State Police Trooper Chris Boven, left, needed a liver transplant. Trooper David Burr was among the many Michigan State police officers who volunteered for donor screening and ultimately saved his friend's life. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
Jada Elenbaas is a 2-year-old girl who has never played with other children, nor has she ever been to a restaurant or a grocery store. She was born without a thymus and, until her immune system gets a strong hold, she's kept isolated from most people and therefore germs. (Taylor Ballek | Spectrum Health Beat)
Elias Dababneh, 24, was walking into a store in Muskegon one night when he heard a worker yell "Move! Move! Move!" He saw a SUV headed straight toward the front door. The SUV careened into him and nearly took his life. (Taylor Ballek | Spectrum Health Beat)
Chelsea Boet, a doctor and mom of two, is battling colon cancer with a powerful social network, humor and plenty of snuggles. (Taylor Ballek | Spectrum Health Beat)
David Spaulding meets his great-great-grandson Grayson David Fandrich. As Grayson entered the world, David fought to survive a near-fatal heart attack. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
Trent Ahlefeld had lived with multiple heart defects all his life. His mother, Megan Thompson, agreed to a groundbreaking procedure to reconstruct Trent's heart. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
Kim Lautner thought she was having a heart attack. A CT scan showed that, instead, she had suffered an aortic dissection—a tear in her largest artery. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
For 18 years, Halie Schneider's parents sought an explanation for her unique combination of physical characteristics, developmental disabilities and seizures. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
Tricia Johnson thought her stomach pain was probably caused by stress, or exercise, or maybe her gall bladder. "Pancreatic cancer" were the words that spilled from her telephone. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
Steve Stampfler was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease at the age of 62. He decided deep brain stimulation therapy was the best way to control the symptoms. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
Rob Buitendorp wasn't worried about the little lump he found on his neck, but he decided to ask his doctor about it anyway. Rob was diagnosed with HPV-related throat cancer. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
Emily Zoladz suffered a miscarriage at 12 weeks into her pregnancy. Days later, a butterfly danced around her. And then came rainbow baby, Ari. (Taylor Ballek | Spectrum Health Beat)
Influenza hit 3-year-old Jase Amesbury so hard he ended up on life support, fighting for his life. He went on to make a remarkable recovery, always pressing forward. (Taylor Ballek | Spectrum Health Beat)
Little Jameson Haight has already experienced many surgeries, including heart surgery, eye surgery and a tracheostomy. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
When a rare condition forced Komonte Hassel to miss his high school graduation, a children's hospital teamed with his school to deliver a personalized ceremony. (Taylor Ballek | Spectrum Health Beat)
Karlee Davis was born with a birth defect that her doctors had never seen before. Research revealed only three other patients in the world born with the condition. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
A blood donation, taken from Teagan Finnigan's umbilical cord moments after birth, may someday help a child or adult facing a serious illness. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
Doctors diagnosed Kathy Shoemaker with triple-negative breast cancer in 2017, her second such diagnosis in recent years. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
Jeremiah Vroegindewey recently learned he has a genetic heart condition after collapsing on a soccer field. He was saved by a teammate who knows CPR. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
Mike Edwards recently became the first person in Michigan to receive an innovative treatment approved last year for severe emphysema. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
A diagnosis of cancer—every parent’s nightmare. For Clarissa Hoffman and her family, it was a mountain to climb, but one they tackled with the help of everyday heroes. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
Little Kymber Stockton called the pain a monster. A monster inside her head. The pain was caused by a mass deep inside her brain. She would need brain surgery. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
Wyatt Peterson's lower right jaw did not develop properly before birth. He traveled from Iowa to Grand Rapids for the innovative surgery to give him the symmetry he wanted. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
Doctors discovered Aurora Vander Vennen's heart problems before she was born. At 26 weeks, imaging showed a narrowed aortic valve and an enlarged left ventricle. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
Owen Bartels is a happy baby approaching his first birthday. You wouldn't know that four days after his birth he was critically ill with failing organs. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
Pam Goodfellow was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 38. The mother of two sons went through aggressive treatment and was declared cancer free, but her journey was not over. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
Halloween 2019 was day 100 in the neonatal intensive care unit for little Seger Wilson, also known as Wonder Woman. She and her twin sister, Reese, have shown superhero strength. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
Jo Ann and Phil Britton lost their son, Nick, in 2016. Jo Ann was able to hug the transplant recipient of her son's donor heart, Tyler Jaenicke, when they met. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
Jeremy Rootes recently received CAR T-cell therapy to treat his non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He is the first patient to get the groundbreaking treatment at Spectrum Health. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
Amy and Bill Flynn both endured serious health scares in 2017. Bill had brain surgery for a non-cancerous tumor, while Amy battled breast cancer. She's now cancer free and they're both enjoying life. (John Norton | Spectrum Heath Beat)
When Tyrone Bell's left hand began to tingle and his left leg wouldn't cooperate when he tried to walk, he was reminded of how his mother walked after she suffered a stroke. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
Sid Sybenga collapsed while out for a run with his granddaughter, Anna, who had the presence of mind to get help in a hurry. "She's my hero," Sid said. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
Miguel Munoz's health scare started with back pain and flu-like symptoms. It progressed quickly into a fight for his life. Now he is more grateful than ever for life, reveling in every moment he has with his wife and son by his side. (Taylor Ballek | Spectrum Health Beat)
Ted Droski's life changed forever in 2015 when a sun-blinded driver hit him as he stood behind his car. Ted's legs were crushed, his back broken. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
A prenatal ultrasound alerted Amanda Rostic to her son's medical challenges, giving her time to plan his care well before birth. (Taylor Ballek | Spectrum Health Beat)
Cassie and Josh England married June 28, 2019, in Cadillac, Michigan. Doctors diagnosed Cassie with breast cancer just months before the wedding. “I’m happy we continued planning the wedding,” she said, looking back. “It was something positive to plan, something to look forward to.” (For Spectrum Health Beat)
Ezequiel Gonzalez shares his smile and spreads cheer wherever he goes, despite the genetic disease he was born with. "I like to make people happy," he said. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
"When it got to the point that he was going to come out, our nurse came in and said, 'We have to get this baby out! He could be the New Years baby—we are all betting on it,'" said Lexie Deming about Riggs Wilder Deming's arrival. (Taylor Ballek | Spectrum Health Beat)
Little Merritt Smith began missing developmental milestones. Then the seizures began. Genetic testing revealed that she is missing a sizeable piece of her ninth chromosome. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
Jeffrey Smith, nicknamed JJ, is a survivor of a very complex heart defect. JJ was born with such large holes in his heart that he essentially only had one chamber instead of four. (Taylor Ballek | Spectrum Health Beat)
Hurtling down the road to amputation, Bob Vanderlaan undergoes a last-ditch intervention to save his leg. He calls it his 'small, big miracle.' (Taylor Ballek | Spectrum Health Beat)
On May 23, 2016, Eric Westra took his last breath, holding his son's hand. His legacy lives on with a tissue donation Chelsea made to osteosarcoma researchers. (Taylor Ballek | Spectrum Health Beat)
Susie, a chimpanzee at the John Ball Zoo, had a mysterious lump on the back of her right wrist. The zoo's veterinarian asked hand surgeon Peter Jebson, MD, to make a house call to the zoo. (Chris Clark | Spectrum Health Beat)
Gray Rushin, 54, had just reached his 30th day and 3,000 mile mark into his cross-country bicycle trip when the unexpected occurred. Rushin had a stroke. (Taylor Ballek | Spectrum Health Beat)
There are many things medical experts thought Everett Oostveen would never do. This spunky 3-year-old is defying all odds. (Taylor Ballek | Spectrum Health Beat)
The Coles family in Big Rapids recently welcomed their 'surprise' baby, Ari, to the Coles crew which includes mom Emily, dad Jon and sons Carson and Reid. (For Spectrum Health Beat)
Michele Schoon, RN, poses with Elena Santiz-Collazo, Antonio Jauregui and their newborn son, Jonathan. The nurse happened to be fluent in the rare Mayan language Elena spoke. (Alan Neushwander | Spectrum Health Beat)
In one moment, life as we know it may forever be altered.
Suddenly, all that matters becomes quite clear: Love, hope, answers, tomorrows.
The Spectrum Health Beat team is honored to share with you incredible stories of people navigating their health care journeys with remarkable bravery.
Extraordinary stories. Every day. That’s our promise to Health Beat readers, and 2019 proved to be a blockbuster year of stories that took our breath away.
Below are the best of the best, as chosen by you, our dear readers.
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