A place for children turns 100

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AURORA – On a monumental day, he offers some monumental wisdom.

"For the people who provide healthcare all you can hope is that the miracles of medicine continue to surround them, so they can help," said Seymour Wheelock.

Wheelock made this wish as he reflected on 100 years of care for The Children's Hospital. Wheelock is believed to be the oldest living patient of the hospital. He was about 9 months old in 1918 when his parents took him to the hospital for a digestive disorder. It was colic.

After that brief stay at the hospital, he returned as a young boy to have his tonsils removed. He still remembers that cold winter day.

"There was no way to travel the streets, so my father got in the street car tracks and followed the tracks of Route 10 first and Route 23 next, and down 18th next and got to the hospital," he said.

Several years later, in 1946, another connection to Children's was made when Dr. Wheelock returned as a resident pediatrician. At that time, there were just three people on the full time staff, salaried by the hospital. Wheelock remembers it as a time of "red hot changes" in medicine. The first pediatric heart surgeries took place, doctors made strides in saving premature babies and penicillin was discovered.

He has fond memories of the many doctors and nurses who practiced with him. He remembers every name, adding, "They are fine people that I have met, the highly intellectual and yet totally humanitarian individuals."

People he says did what they did for their love of children.

As for one of his favorite memories, Wheelock said, "I think the happiest day of my life is when we presented a couple of us who were interested in this, presented the idea that we could turn a whole building into an adolescent facility for adolescents only."

Their idea resulted in the first ward devoted entirely to the care of adolescents.

Today's hospital is designed to serve children of all ages and their families. Wheelock calls it, "A technological marvel." Despite all of the medical advances he's seen, Wheelock still believes it is the people, the patients and the patients' families that make The Children's Hospital so special.

In the end, it is the love of children that inspires them all.

The Children's Hospital provided 9NEWS with some historical facts about the facility:

What began as summer tent hospitals for babies became the first pediatric medical facility in Denver. The Children's Hospital, incorporated May 8, 1908 celebrates 100 years of commitment to pediatric care.

• The first Children's Hospital was a converted residence with a capacity of 30 beds. It quickly outgrew its original location and, with the dedication and determination of Dr. Minnie Love, $200,000 was raised to build a new one, which opened in 1917 at 19th Avenue and Downing Street in Downtown Denver.

• Common pediatric challenges of the day were basics such as clean drinking water, sterilized milk (a rarity), tonsillitis, indigestion, orthopedics and "infant feeding," a common description at the time for a variety of nutritional problems.

• In 1910, Oca Cushman took on the role of "first, formidable and forever" superintendent of The Children's Hospital, serving for 45 years. She also founded the nursing school.

• The worldwide influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 killed at least 20 million people, including Denver's own Mayor Robert Speer. Schools, movie houses and theaters were closed in an attempt to slow the contagion. Sunday, Oct. 18, 1918, the Rocky Mountain News reported 17 deaths during the previous four days.The Children's Hospital treated 223 patients for the flu between April, 1918 and April, 1919.

• The Anges Reid Tammen Wing was opened at Children's in 1924, providing new facilities for orthopedic care. The Tammen Hall Nursing School soon followed.

• In 1937, Claude Boettcher donated toward a new school at The Children's Hospital built in honor of his father. The Boettcher School was designed specifically for the disabled.

• Common pediatric challenges of the era were pneumonia, streptococcal disease, rheumatic fever, diphtheria, tuberculosis and, most frightening of all, polio.

• In the 30s, 40s and 50s The Children's Hospital treated tens of thousands of polio victims, along the way pioneering radical new treatment and isolation methods such as hot packing and passive and active movement techniques, hydrotherapy and specially equipped isolation units.

• With the beginning of World War II, 85 physicians and surgeons left for military service and the government subsidized nurses' training in exchange for their promise to stay in the profession at least until the war's end.

• Sister Elizabeth Kenny pioneered a revolutionary treatment of polio at The Children's Hospital in 1942. Her treatment was effective and helped patients recover strength and range of motion much more rapidly.

• The hospital hired Dr. Harold Palmer as its full-time pathologist and its first medical director in 1942. Palmer had three stated goals on his arrival: expansion of the hospital's laboratories, improving the residency program and increasing the emphasis on research.

• In the mid-1940s, Dr. Helen Tausig of Johns Hopkins University pioneered research in correcting a congenital heart defect known as "blue baby" syndrome. Her work led to further developments in open-heart surgery at Children's. Prior to these advancements, cardiology diagnosis and treatment consisted of a doctor seated on a wooden bench in a quiet room listening to a child's chest with a stethoscope.

• In 1953, Children's first true open-heart surgery was performed by Dr. John Grow, an Army-trained thoracic surgeon.

• The Children's Hospital Infant Surgery Ward opened in 1948, headed by Dr. George B. Packard, Jr. Surgical treatment for disorders such as cleft palate greatly improved quality of life for many patients.

• One of the country's first child-abuse identification, prevention and treatment programs began in 1958 with the Child Protection Team, under the direction of Dr. C. Henry Kempe.

• The Oca Cushman Wing – named after the hospital's first superintendent – opened in 1958, adding 72,000 square-feet of modern medical facilities including operating and recovery rooms.

• Founded in 1965 under the direction of Dr. L. Joseph Butterfield, The Children's Hospital Newborn Center became an internationally-recognized leader in the prevention and treatment of birth defects, low-birth weight babies and premature births, treating nearly 1,000 babies per year by 1975.

• The Children's Hospital sponsored Colorado's first amputee ski school at Arapahoe Basin in 1968. The hospital's sports programs for children with disabilities have become a national model.

• In 1978, Dr. James Todd of The Children's Hospital garnered international attention when he discovered and named Toxic Shock Syndrome.

• In 2007, The Children's Hospital moved to a state-of-the-art facility, located at I-225 and East Colfax A venue. The 1.44 million square-foot hospital includes 270 beds and advanced medical equipment especially designed for children, as well as inspiring artwork and improved family accommodations.