Speech pathologist conquers snowstorm for patients

When Bethany Thorson looked out the window of her suburban Denver home during the historic March 13-14 blizzard, she saw a stuck SUV and her frustrated, snow-tested, Minnesota-born husband in the driveway.

Quickly, Thorson realized she wasn’t going to be driving to work for her position as speech language pathologist at UCHealth Broomfield Hospital like she’d done dozens of times since joining UCHealth 18 months ago. But was there another option?

“My husband thought I should call off,” Thorson said. “His truck was stuck in our driveway and we could see the cul-de-sac where we live hadn’t been plowed, either. So, I had a pretty good excuse. But I had another idea.”

A competitive athlete who often runs 45 miles or more per week, Thorson put on her trail shoes and a pair of fleece pants to ward off temperatures in the mid-20s. She filled a small backpack with a pair of scrubs and a fully charged cell phone. Despite drifts that went past the knee of her 5’2” frame, the Arizona and Texas native set off on what was supposed to be a five-mile hike to work.

“I am someone who is fulfilled and passionate about my job,” Thorson said. “I pride myself on my reliability. If my name is on the schedule, I want to be there for my patients.”

Thorson’s five-mile trek became closer to six as she occasionally lost the path on her way to work. She kept her wits, however, and arrived in time for a full shift caring for those on the inpatient rehabilitation unit, many of whom had suffered a stroke, brain or spinal cord injury. The only clue patients or colleagues had about her through-the-woods efforts were the non-slip socks normally reserved for patients that she donned upon arrival.

“In hindsight, I should have packed another pair of shoes,” Thorson said. “Mine were pretty well soaked through by the time I got to work.”

Thorson’s husband Jake freed his SUV and picked her up at the end of her shift, thereby preventing a repeat performance.

“I don’t know that I’d recommend running to work after a big snow to everyone,” Thorson said. “But for me, it was just another training day.”

With the blizzard behind her, Thorson set her sights set on another challenge. In July, she ran the Mount Hood (Oregon) 50k.