Singing transporter writes, performs song for patient

People at UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital called Ethan Hill the “singing transporter.”

He’d brighten up patients’ days by singing to them as he moved them between departments.

“Sometimes they give me the ‘who’s this guy?’ look. Sometimes they start laughing,” he said, adding that some patients would sing along.

One day in early 2020, he heard about a small celebration with cupcakes honoring a big milestone for a cancer patient, whom he’d previously transported, and their spouse. Hill wanted to play them a song on guitar, but nobody could find one in the hospital.

He went home, wrote a song just for them and posted the video on social media. The patient’s nurse showed it to them before discharge, and the song caused tears.

“I don’t know very much about them,” Hill said. “I just kind of took some general things and put them together.”

He said he understands how patients can sometimes feel overwhelmed by the hospital experience, with so many different people coming and going, and it’s his goal to make the experience “not so dark and gloomy” as some might expect.

“Nobody wants to go to the hospital,” he said. “But in my mind, if everyone’s in a very warm, happy mood, it creates just that little bit of a difference.”

Sometimes, that goes beyond singing. Hill last year was recognized by a patient who’d been experiencing emotional and physical trauma from an amputation. The patient said Hill took the time to help them get cleaned up, even though it wasn’t his job. The patient was in tough financial circumstances, and Hill also brought them a backpack and clothing.

“He took the time to acknowledge me, care for me and to reassure me that everything was going to be OK,” according to the patient.

The singing transporter has left the building

In April 2020, nearly a year after he started his position at PVH, Hill became an emergency medical technician with UCHealth LifeLine critical care ground transport. It’s the next step as he pursues his goal of becoming a flight medic.

He said he misses the interactions in the hospital, but he enjoys working on the ambulance team.

“This is the first company that I work for that I’ve truly enjoyed – actually looked forward to – coming to work,” he said, adding that UCHealth “opened my eyes to good” opportunities.

Sara Young, Hill’s former manager at PVH, said he “kept our team upbeat with his songs, conversation and get-it-done attitude.

“Ethan always did the extra things for our patients to settle them in their rooms, which was comforting for our patients and also a helpful hand for our nursing staff. We were excited to see Ethan finally realize his next step in his professional career by obtaining a job with EMS.”