Although 10-year-old Julius can’t remember every moment of his 35-day hospital stay, he’ll never forget the feeling of flying in a helicopter to Children’s Hospital Colorado—or the moment he realized he could move the left side of his body again.

Just days before his emergency flight, Julius had been playing basketball in his hometown of Alamosa, Colorado. But after a sudden illness and a fall that left him unable to walk, his parents rushed him to the local hospital. Doctors quickly realized they didn’t have the tools to treat what turned out to be a severe brain infection. Julius was flown to Children’s Hospital Colorado, where he underwent three emergency surgeries, including a craniotomy, a procedure in which part of the skull is temporarily removed to relieve pressure on the brain

“He had a 5-millimeter brain shift and was having seizures,” said his mother, Roechele. “He became the sickest patient in the PICU for 15 days. He had a ventilator, a feeding tube, a PICC line—everything. But he’s a miracle.”

Julius’ recovery has been nothing short of extraordinary. After weeks in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and rehabilitation floors, he returned home with a new goal: to run again. Today at age 10, he’s not just running—he’s setting records and winning races. In 2025 Julius took 10th at the AAU Cross Country Nationals while running a personal record in the 3k. He can also run a mile in just five minutes.

His progress is thanks in large part to the multidisciplinary care he received at Children’s Colorado. From neurosurgery and Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) to physical, occupational and speech therapy, Julius’s care team worked together to support every aspect of his recovery. His family made the five-hour drive to Aurora three to four times a week for follow-up care, including visits to the Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic. He now comes back yearly for checkups.

Julius now dreams of becoming an anesthesiologist and is giving back. He’s fundraising for the Neurosurgery Department at Children’s Hospital Colorado—the team that helped save his life and gave him the chance to chase his dreams again.

“We wanted the best treatment, and we believe that’s where the best is,” Roechele said. “Every need we had was exceeded. From the doctors and nurses to the Family Resource center and counseling services, they thought of everything.”

“We’re here today because of the care we received at Children’s Hospital Colorado,” Roechele said. “They didn’t just save Julius’s life. They gave him back his future.”