GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Pat Dorgan spent 50 years at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital in Grand Rapids — and Friday was his last day.
Dorgan, the hospital's longest-serving employee, built a career helping patients regain their ability to walk through orthotics and prosthetics. His colleagues made sure he knew he would be missed.
"This might be an old picture of the front of the old Mary Free Bed on Cherry Street. I was 17 years old when I started there," Dorgan said.
Over the course of his career, Dorgan earned multiple credentials.
"I'm credentialed as an orthotic assistant, as an orthotic fitter, and as a certified orthotic and prosthetic technician," Dorgan said.
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When asked how many patients he has helped over the years, Dorgan said the number is difficult to count.
"Hundreds, thousands? I don't have a number, I just know it's been hundreds and thousands of patients that I've helped," Dorgan said.
His expertise made him a go-to resource for the most difficult cases, according to Mary Free Bed certified orthotist Melissa Cordial-Stout.
"Pat became kind of the go-to for any hard case. We always wanted to know Pat's opinion," Cordial-Stout said.
Dorgan has also witnessed significant advancements in technology throughout his career. He reflected on how far the field has come — from older braces to modern hydraulic devices.
"That's a Forrest Gump brace. Forrest Gump brace, exactly. So, we still make Forrest Gump braces," Dorgan said. "It's changed drastically, of course. So, we could call this a stance control knee joint, where it's hydraulically controlling the knee flexion, the extension relative to their gate pattern.”
Despite the changes in technology, Dorgan said the dedication of the people at Mary Free Bed has remained constant.
"When we get them, get them up, standing and walking, and that's a great feeling," Dorgan said.
As he prepared to turn in his ID badge, Dorgan reflected on what kept him at Mary Free Bed for five decades.
"I've always thought it through and said to myself, there's no other place and I want to work here than Mary Free Bed to do, to do what I do in orthotics and prosthetics," Dorgan said.
Dorgan said he does not have firm plans in retirement, but he does intend to return to Mary Free Bed to mentor newer staff and pass on his skills.
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