AURORA, Colo. — A father inspired by his daughter's battle with stage 4 cancer is giving back in a big way to the hospital that helped save her life.
Saren Peterson's life, from here on out, will include a hospital.
"It’s definitely one of those things that I ... my health is forever changed," Saren Peterson said.
Migraines, blurry vision, and facial paralysis prompted doctor visits, and in 2022, she was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an incurable brain cancer.
"These symptoms, this doesn’t just happen like all of a sudden. I’m in serious pain. I can't do anything," Saren Peterson said about the symptoms she was experiencing before the diagnosis. "That can only be the reason. That I just have cancer. That has to be what it is. And I was right, unfortunately."
She shared her story with Denver7 with a lighthearted tone. Her dad, Randy Peterson, sat next to her, smiling.
"It’s tough," Randy Peterson said, breaking composure. "I don’t mean to get emotional, but you live with this. I mean, I’m a pretty pragmatic guy. We know what it is, right?"
Randy Peterson is a former active-duty Army pilot stationed at Fort Carson. Now, he's taking his training to helicopter pads in hospitals across the state, recently becoming a lifeline pilot for UCHealth.
"I’ve always been interested since I was a kid to fly these medivac missions, and I didn’t do that in the military," he said. "It’s not good to see the accidents, of course, but being able to help them is an important part of the job. At least for me, it’s satisfaction."
He helps to get those in need of the most critical car to hospitals as quickly as possible and inspires Saren Peterson the same way she inspires him.
"To not only save people but also in a whole other capacity to be able to fly and help people immediately at that point and to hopefully, you know, save their lives. When I found out that he was doing it, that was awesome," she said.
Randy Peterson said he's honored to work with UCHealth nurses every day and see them in action saving lives the same way they did his daughter's.
Saren Peterson is nearing graduation and getting a psychology degree from Utah Valley University.
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