DENVER (KDVR) — Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children is celebrating 10 years of serving children in Colorado. To help mark the occasion, one of the hospital’s patients is sharing his lifelong special bond with his doctors.
Trey Alexander, 26, was born at Presbyterian St. Luke’s. That’s the hospital that would go on to become Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children. He had his first operation at 9 weeks old after doctors learned he was suffering from a rare condition.
“Trey was born with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia, which occurs in about 1 in 5,000 children,” his physician, Dr. Saundra Kay, said.
Trey’s mom, Melissa Alexander, said the muscle lining that held her son’s intestines and stomach in place was missing. Trey was in and out of the children’s hospital since he was an infant. The young man has now been through 22 surgeries. He credits doctors with saving his life over and over again.
“I owe them the world,” Trey said. “I met a lot of cool doctor friends.”
Those doctor friends are not yet ready to see the 26-year-old from Aurora leave their care. Trey still has a feeding tube in his stomach and will for the rest of his life. However, he said he’s doing better than ever.
“Actually, I haven’t seen my surgeons in a while … and I miss them … but I don’t,” he joked.
To celebrate his milestone — and the current hospital’s 10-year birthday — Trey and Melissa shared their bond by having the hospital’s symbol tattooed to their arms.
“[Trey] came to the hospital with his mom, and when he showed me his matching tattoo with his mom — I just couldn’t believe it,” Kay said.
The symbol of a hospital is now forever with them as the relationship between a family and health-care workers continues to grow.