On September 12th, the Switchbacks visited the site of Colorado Springs' upcoming Children's Hospital at Austin Bluffs and Briargate Parkway. The GE Johnson Construction Company and MTech Mechanical gave the Switchbacks and a special guest a tour of the Children's Hospital that is set to open in early 2019.
Switchbacks players JJ Tambe, Moise Pouaty, and Pascal Eboussi had the privilege to meet Markus, who is the Kid of the Quarter. The Children’s Hospital Colorado (CHCO) project in Colorado Springs, the Kid of the Quarter program is a collaborative initiative and seeks to share the stories of the brave girls and boys who have received care at Children’s Hospital and to engage these children in the construction process. Each quarter, one child – either a current or former CHCO patient – is selected as Kid of the Quarter. They are then welcomed onto the job site where they are introduced to the team on site and taught about safety, processes, machinery, and all aspects of construction. Their photo and story are posted prominently on the job site, giving workers and project leaders a daily boost of motivation and personal connection to the project.
After Markus started having knee pain, an X-ray revealed a mass in his leg and Markus was diagnosed with osteosarcoma – a rare form of bone cancer. To treat the cancer, doctors had to remove Markus' leg at the knee. Markus has finished his last round of chemotherapy as well as being fitted for a new prosthetic leg. He is known for his infectious positive attitude and ability to make his nurses laugh, and he had a similar effect on the Switchbacks players.
The Switchbacks players loved getting to meet Markus and hear about his incredible story. The players were honored to help Markus put up his nameplate so everyone would remember that he helped build the newest Children's Hospital and his favorite saying, "fear is an illusion."
On September 12th, the Switchbacks visited the site of Colorado Springs’ upcoming Children’s Hospital at Austin Bluffs and Briargate Parkway. The GE Johnson Construction Company and MTech Mechanical gave the Switchbacks and a special guest a tour of the Children’s Hospital that is set to open in early 2019.
Switchbacks players JJ Tambe, Moise Pouaty, and Pascal Eboussi had the privilege to meet Markus, who is the Kid of the Quarter. The Children’s Hospital Colorado (CHCO) project in Colorado Springs, the Kid of the Quarter program is a collaborative initiative and seeks to share the stories of the brave girls and boys who have received care at Children’s Hospital and to engage these children in the construction process. Each quarter, one child – either a current or former CHCO patient – is selected as Kid of the Quarter. They are then welcomed onto the job site where they are introduced to the team on site and taught about safety, processes, machinery, and all aspects of construction. Their photo and story are posted prominently on the job site, giving workers and project leaders a daily boost of motivation and personal connection to the project.
After Markus started having knee pain, an X-ray revealed a mass in his leg and Markus was diagnosed with osteosarcoma – a rare form of bone cancer. To treat the cancer, doctors had to remove Markus’ leg at the knee. Markus has finished his last round of chemotherapy as well as being fitted for a new prosthetic leg. He is known for his infectious positive attitude and ability to make his nurses laugh, and he had a similar effect on the Switchbacks players.
The Switchbacks players loved getting to meet Markus and hear about his incredible story. The players were honored to help Markus put up his nameplate so everyone would remember that he helped build the newest Children’s Hospital and his favorite saying, “fear is an illusion.”
