Beckett came into this world much earlier than expected. He weighed just 2 pounds when he was born at 33 weeks at a Colorado Springs hospital. After two and a half months in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), his parents started to suspect that something more than prematurity was affecting their little boy; Beckett struggled with feeding and his tiny body couldn’t gain the weight he needed to thrive. His parents made the decision to move him to the newly opened Children’s Hospital Colorado, Colorado Springs, hoping his new care team would be able to unlock the mysteries of their son’s health.

Just two days after arriving at Children’s Colorado, his dedicated team of specialists determined that when Beckett would swallow milk or formula, the liquid was being breathed into his airway. Doctors determined that for him to gain weight and get strong enough to go home, he’d need to have a gastrostomy tube (G-tube) inserted so that he could receive nourishment. At just over 3 months old, he had his G-tube surgery, and his health steadily began to improve. After 92 days, he got to go home.

Even with Beckett’s regular visits to the hospital, his cheery attitude and determination have never wavered. Now 5 years old, he calls Children’s Colorado, Colorado Springs “my hospital,” because that’s exactly what it is: a hospital built just for kids like him.