July 02, 2026
"I trust Denver Health with my life. Literally."
For Garritte Hitchens, saying those powerful words are an affirmation of all she has been through and how far she's come, thanks to her lifelong health care partner, Denver Health.
Hitchens was born at Denver Health, and if not for exceptional trauma care over a few touch-and-go days, she would have died there, too.
A crash on Jan. 4, 2020, left Hitchens with a severe traumatic brain injury, broken bones, bruises and a gashed eyelid. Hitchens doesn't remember the crash, only waking up in the emergency room and immediately knowing she was at Denver Health - her mother looking over her.
"I said, 'Mom, you found me.'"
"Yeah, I did," her mom replied.
Hitchens spent about a week in the hospital. She does remember the days after waking up, even in the fear and confusion of her hospital stay, and how she was treated.
"As soon as they got the results from the X-ray, they said, 'This is what we're going to do. We're going to give you an IV. You're not going to feel anything, but we're going to put everything back into place,'" Hitchens recalled. "The trauma team saved my life. Everyone gave great personal care and really treated me with dignity and respect."
The experience strengthened a bond with Denver Health she had long before the accident.
She has received care at Denver Health her entire life. But surviving the crash, she said, "solidified Denver Health in my heart forever."
Trusted trauma care and recovery
"We know you don't always have a choice when it comes to trauma care," said Bailee Olliff, MD, medical director of Denver Health's level-one trauma center, the first in Colorado. She said patients can trust Denver Health because it has many different specialists who work together to treat serious injuries. "We don't just treat the injuries and diagnoses that are in your chart, but the whole patient, making sure you have a safe disposition plan and a rehab plan to get you back to doing what you love."
After Hitchens went home from the hospital, she spent about two months recovering before she could go back to work, wearing a walking boot and just walking from her house to the curb. She learned to walk again and then eventually started to run again. A couple years later, she signed up to coach third-fifth graders in the Girls on the Run program. The program helps girls prepare for a 5K and build social-emotional skills. She's now been doing it for five seasons and says it's really helped her gain her confidence back.
Her track to recovery has been a long one, and continues, as she works through some of the permanent effects of the accident, including short-term memory recalls and sensitivity to loud noises. Ongoing visits with speech therapists and other treatments at Denver Health have helped her to manage day to day life, and she also helps herself by making lists and setting timers.
The mother of four has learned to adjust to her life physically, too. Her left foot healed in a way that prevents her from wearing high heels, which she misses.
Only recently, Hitchens has gone from a "walk-run" to running full laps. This year, she signed up to speak and run in the Trauma Survivors Fun Run, presented by Denver Health. The annual event is for trauma survivors, including former Denver Health trauma patients like herself, along with their families, caregivers and community members.
"Everyone on the trauma team, I thank you," she told the crowd before the run. "If I have a choice, I will only go to Denver Health."
Now, six years since that horrible accident, Hitchens believes she is fully recovered.
"I credit Denver Health for keeping me alive in that event, but I credit God for everything else."
