10/18/2026
Chris always wanted to be a firefighter. But growing up with a congenital heart defect called transposition of the great arteries, he was told the physically demanding career might not be possible for him.
With support from our team in the Heart Institute, Chris achieved his childhood goal. During fire service training, he discovered his roommate, Spencer, had a similar story: heart surgery at 2 weeks old, with follow-up surgery here as an adult. Chris says he was relieved when he met Spencer at training,
“Because as a kid, you know you’re different.”
Chris, now 45, is a captain with Poudre Fire Authority. Spencer, now 46, is a lieutenant at the same station, Station 3 in Fort Collins. Our team still cares for each of them, even though we’re a children’s hospital. That’s because, even if some of the chairs are a little small, “you need to go where the experts are,” Spencer says.
Because our Heart Institute treats more congenital and pediatric heart conditions than any other in the Rocky Mountain region, we have unique expertise in caring for patients you might not expect to see in our hospital beds. Specialists in our Adult Congenital Disease Program host 2,500 appointments each year, helping adult patients manage their health, prepare for changing needs and safely pursue meaningful goals — no matter their age.
For Chris and Spencer, that means they can remain diligent about their heart health while continuing to serve their Northern Colorado community. Chris says, “There’s a certain standard we have to meet in the fire service, and working with my doctors at Children’s Hospital Colorado, they found a way I could meet those metrics and exceed them."
*First photo from left to right: Spencer and Chris, courtesy the Fort Collins Coloradoan.*
