Children's Hospital Colorado

In an independent survey of more than 170,000 Americans working for companies with more than 5,000 employees, Children’s Colorado received the number four spot on Forbes’ list of America’s Best Large Employers. From flash mobs to training opportunities, medical dogs to support services, see what makes our workplace so special.

The Female Athlete Program at Children’s Colorado is the only one of its kind in the state. See how doctors like Dr. Aubrey Armento are uniting specialists from different fields to provide a comprehensive approach to optimizing each athlete’s health and performance.

Tune into the Paralympics and you're sure to see Lacey Henderson. She's the first Paralympian to host the Games for NBC from the host city — and the first Children's Colorado patient to host, too! In 1999, our experts diagnosed Lacey with a rare type of bone and soft tissue cancer called synovial sarcoma. The only way to save her life was to amputate her leg above the knee. “It was a big day for me,” says Lacey. “But honestly it also felt kind of normal. You know, my leg comes off now. But I still felt empowered to try and do all the things I wanted to try.” And try she did. Her family is serious about track and field — pole vault pit in the backyard kind of serious. A prosthetic leg wasn’t going to stop her, or even slow her down. Lacey got a college scholarship for competitive cheerleading, and decided to try her hand at track and field, as well. She excelled in the long jump and the pole vault, breaking an American record during her first year. She competed in the Paralympics in 2016 and the World Championship Experience, among many other events. And throughout it all, she's remembered the team that cared for her. Military Paralympians call them “battle buddies.” “My team at Children’s Colorado, that’s my battle buddies,” she says. “I still text with my nurses. My surgeon emailed me a few years ago. You grow up remembering all those people who impacted your life.” Enjoy the Games, Lacey! We'll be watching. #ParisParalympics

Blood draws are tough for kids with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), but a new technology is making them easier. See how we're using virtual reality to keep their minds too busy to feel the discomfort.

Once overheard in a patient room about prescription pet Nella: Five-year-old patient: "My heart is fainting." Patient's mom: "What do you mean?" Patient: "My heart is fainting with happiness because she is so cute.” We couldn't agree more, kid. #NationalDogDay

The nurses of the Sunshine Committee are just one of the reasons our Level IV NICU is ranked number one in the state. Learn about the impact of this thoughtful crew.

Cramps can be common for young women during their menstrual cycle, but debilitating pain is not. At 16 years old, Taylor began feeling severe abdominal pain around her cycle. When the pain was only getting worse, she was misdiagnosed with appendicitis. Unfortunately, many young women like Taylor with extreme menstrual pain are misdiagnosed or their symptoms are ignored altogether. Thankfully, Taylor found our Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology and met Dr. Veronica Alaniz, a pediatric and adolescent gynecologist who focuses on establishing an accurate diagnosis and providing care as adolescent patients transition into adult care. “Dr. Alaniz helped make the whole unknown process a lot easier,” says Taylor. “Finally, someone was there and supportive and never made me feel like she was giving up on me.” Dr. Alaniz worked with Taylor to identify a golf ball-sized ovarian cyst and began treatment with birth control and medication to suppress the cyst and relieve Taylor’s pain. In 2018, she diagnosed Taylor with endometriosis, a condition that occurs when tissue from the inner lining of the uterus spreads outside of the uterus, causing more extreme symptoms than an ordinary menstrual cycle, including severe pain. “It was bittersweet to finally have answers,” says Taylor. “I knew at that moment it was going to be a lifetime journey going forward. But I was happy to know it wasn’t in my head.” Dr. Alaniz performed two laparoscopic surgeries — a minimally invasive procedure using small incisions and a camera — to remove the tissue. While there’s no cure for endometriosis, Taylor’s symptoms are managed with hormonal therapy, surgery and other medications. Her experience drives her to raise awareness about female reproductive health. “People will tell you just have bad periods or make you feel it’s something minor. As well as like you don’t understand,” says Taylor. “But it’s important to get the care you deserve and to trust yourself. If you don’t have a provider that is supporting you, you should try to find someone that will run tests and go above and beyond to get the diagnosis you need.” Now at 24, Taylor works at a daycare center, loves to go on long walks and spend time with her friends and family. She also continues to research and discuss evaluation and treatment options with her care team, such as ovarian reserve testing (and egg freezing), to plan for her future. While Taylor continues to battle endometriosis, Dr. Alaniz works alongside her care team in the Chronic Pelvic Pain Clinic at UCHealth, to ensure the doctor who knows her best is by her side throughout her reproductive life. “Endometriosis is under diagnosed in adolescents,” says Dr. Alaniz. “Painful periods and pelvic pain that continues even when a patient is on medical hormonal therapy warrants further investigation. Early recognition and management are critical in the treatment of symptoms and preservation of reproductive health in adolescents.”

Thomas was just months old when he received his heart transplant 25 years ago. Dr. David Campbell says that there have been big advancements in the field since then. However, he says it’s not due to new surgical techniques but rather the care patients like Thomas receive after transplantation. “The surgical procedure has not changed much at all,” says Dr. Campbell, “but the post operative care and the rejection drug therapies have improved significantly since the late 1990's. The transplant cardiologists and the transplant coordinators are really the heroes. And our program has always been coordinator-driven. They are the backbone of our program and are what makes us unique. We have been lucky to have the best of the best. Any of our families and patients will attest to the close bond they develop with the transplant coordinators.” See how Thomas has defied the odds with a healthy heart 25 years later and learn how our transplant team helped his parents through the toughest times.

We’re proud of the recent graduates of our KidStreet day treatment program, which provides care for kids with complex medical needs. These kiddos have worked hard, donned their caps and gowns and are ready to move on to their next chapters. Oh, the places they'll go!

Rising fourth-grader Zoe is returning to school this month and thinking of ways to top her show-and-tell from last year. Zoe came to us last year for a ruptured appendix. While she lost her appendix that day, she gained something for show-and-tell that became the highlight of her school year. No, it wasn’t her appendix. Even better: She brought the surgeon who performed her appendectomy! It all came together at Zoe's post-op appointment when she innocently asked her surgeon, Dr. Jonathan Roach, if he could come for show-and-tell to talk about her operation. To her surprise, he agreed and soon made time in his busy schedule to present to her class on the appendix and appendectomy. We’re not sure if Zoe will be able to top her show-and-tell from last year, and we definitely hope she won’t need to get another surgery to do it. We’re wishing every kid out there a happy and healthy start to the new school year! #HereItsDifferent