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In 2016, Morgan Monroe was just beginning her motorbike racing career when she crashed going 95 MPH.
She survived but her injuries were extensive.
Monroe was rolled into a Grand Rapids hospital on a stretcher and after 30 days of rehab she walked out with a new purpose.
She said her goal is to touch the lives of other athletes recovering.
“I look forward to impacting someone in a positive way,” she said.
That’s why Clio native Morgan Monroe is starting Morgan’s Place Rehabilitation Center in Grand Rapids. Five years ago, today, Morgan was involved in a high-speed crash during a motorcycle race in Georgia.
“I broke my right scapula, I broke my left hand, four ribs, an L1 vertebrae, and I had a traumatic brain injury that led me to have a hemorrhagic stroke and temporarily paralyzed the right side of my body,” Monroe said.
Morgan’s mom Carey was watching her daughter from the stands.
“On about lap three was when she went into turn one at 95 miles per hour and her front tire hit the back tire of another bike. Then she went flying off the bike about 30 feet. And I immediately thought that she wasn’t going to make it,” Carey said.
Morgan rehabbed her injuries at Mary Free Bed in Grand Rapids. That’s where she met Jennifer Ancans. The occupational therapist was part of a team that worked with Morgan on fine motor coordination, electrical stimulation, and vibration. Eventually, Morgan was able to use her right hand again.
“Once she started moving the hand then I made her use it all the time. And so that meant taking money out of her wallet when we would go to the restaurant, or paging through a book, or picking up items, or holding her toothbrush with that right hand,” Ancans said.
Morgan has fully recovered. She credits Ancans for inspiring her mission to start Morgan’s Place. Morgan’s goal is to have Morgan’s Place up and running by the spring/early summer. The rehab center will offer wrap-around services for athletes after they leave the hospital.
“I always said that I wanted to be somebody’s Jennifer someday. You know, touch their heart in a dark time in their life, she said.