The Deaf woman was driving blocks from her home when she suddenly saw a truck heading straight toward her small green Kia.

Angela Lavin doesn’t remember the moment the truck slammed into her, but she soon found herself bleeding and pinned in her crumpled car.

“It was very scary. I was shaking. I was stuck behind the dashboard.”

She passed out and woke up a short time later at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital near her home in Green Valley Ranch close to Denver International Airport. It was the first time that she ever had been in a hospital as an adult.

Angela, now 36, suffered fractures in both her femur and her neck, injuries that would require her to be hospitalized for two weeks.

Despite the injuries and the scary accident, Angela was greatly relieved when a woman at the hospital ER seamlessly started communicating with her in American Sign Language or ASL.

“I woke up in the ER and thought, ‘Who is this woman?’ and she said, ‘You’re in the hospital,’ and I realized, ‘Oh, she signs. She’s an interpreter.’ I felt a lot better with an interpreter by my side, having someone who knows my language.’”

Angela has fully recovered from the accident which happened three years ago.

Most people don’t ever want to return to the hospital after a traumatic injury.

But Angela and her husband, Shane Lavin — who is also Deaf — are looking forward to returning and again receiving support from trusted in-person ASL interpreters. That’s because the couple is expecting their first baby on Dec. 26 and Angela plans to welcome her baby at what has become her favorite hospital.

UCHealth is the only hospital system in the Rocky Mountain region that boasts six in-person, staff members who are ASL interpreters — three in the Denver region, two in southern Colorado and one who serves northern Colorado. In UCHealth’s Denver region alone, ASL interpreters support Deaf patients with about 2,000 medical visits each year.

For Angela and Shane — who are proud members of the Deaf community — having knowledgeable culturally-sensitive, in-person interpreters transforms their health care experiences.

They attended elementary school together as kids, lost touch then married as adults

Angela was born with hearing, but by age 3, her parents noticed that she was having trouble with her balance. And she wasn’t always responding when family members were speaking to her. Angela later learned that she has a disease called Kallman syndrome. It more commonly strikes males than females, and in rare circumstances, causes Deafness.

Both Angela and Shane grew up in San Diego. They attended school together for a little while in elementary school.

“He was in the third grade while I was in second. We didn’t hang out, but I remembered his face. He has the same face,” Angela said, grinning as she looked over at her husband.

In sign language, Shane’s name means big smile. Decades later, his face still erupts with joy and love when he talks about Angela.

The two lost track of one another after elementary school.

“There wasn’t Facebook or texting. I couldn’t keep in touch with Angela,” said Shane.

Many years later, they reconnected.

“Some of my friends knew Angela. Finally, after college, I joined Facebook. She saw me there and asked if I was Shane from elementary school. I said, ‘Yes. It’s me. I remember you very well.’ Then we started to see each other, and the rest is history.”

A giant smile spreads over Shane’s face as he animatedly shares the story of reconnecting with Angela and now, expecting their first child.

A shared love of travel born of an obsession with maps

When Shane was a kid, he loved maps and decided he wanted to visit every state in the U.S., so his mom took him on ambitious road trips around the country. By age 18, Shane had achieved his goal and had logged photos from every state.

Now, he’s sharing his love of geography and travel with Angela, who has six states to go on her mission to visit them all. They include West Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and Alaska. She’s also excited to go to Washington, D.C.  someday, where she’s eager to visit the legendary college for the Deaf: Gallaudet University.

Angela and Shane also are looking forward to enjoying adventures with their baby.

They’re expecting a girl and plan to name her Sydney in honor of the honeymoon trip they took to Australia after they were married in 2016.

Angela is a little nervous about childbirth but is excited to become a mom.

Shane can’t wait for Sydney to arrive and eagerly attends every prenatal visit with his wife.

“I’m excited. It will be fun to expose our baby to all the traveling we love to do,” he said.

Both hope their baby will be Deaf, but of course, will adapt if she’s not.

“You’ll hear us screaming in the halls of the hospital if she’s not Deaf,” Shane joked. “Most people prefer for their baby to be hearing. We’re the opposite. We hope our baby will be Deaf.”

Added Angela: “We’d love for her to speak the same language we speak. Sign language is a visual language. Being Deaf is a very positive trait in our community.”

Of course, the Lavins will adore their baby no matter what, but they are eager for the hearing world to keep adapting to Deaf people rather than the other way around.

Supporting Shane and Angela along the way are Shane’s parents, Pam and Phil Lavin. Angela’s parents are no longer alive, so she and Shane both lean on the Lavins for support and encouragement.

Pam Lavin said her son, who has been Deaf since birth, has been fiercely determined since he was a child.

“He’s a very proud Deaf man. He will insist on receiving services. If a place like a national park hangs up on him, he’ll call back two million times,” Pam Lavin said.

‘Without interpreters, I would have been so confused’

Hospitals are required to provide services for people who speak other languages.

But there’s a shortage of ASL interpreters in Colorado and around the world, so in-person interpretation for Deaf people can be rare.

Angela and Shane learned just how vital in-person support is when Angela got in her accident. Both work as stockers for PepsiCo. Shane’s territory includes mountain communities in Colorado’s Grand County. He loves driving and spending time in the mountains. The couple also tends to stores in the Denver area. Thankfully, on the day Angela got hurt, Shane was working south of Denver rather than hours away on the other side of Berthoud Pass.

Angela was actually driving to a store to help Shane on Dec. 23, 2021, when the truck hit her.

After the accident, interpreter Lariisa McClung spent much of the day with Angela and Shane, then another interpreter, Ilise Meyers stepped in. At that time, there were two Denver-area interpreters, so Lariisa and Ilise teamed up to spend as much time with Angela and Shane during her hospitalization.

The interpreters have since grown close to the couple.

When Angela arrived in the ER, she had no idea how her caregivers knew she was Deaf and needed help communicating, but she was thrilled when McClung seemed to magically appear.

“It was amazing. I felt so cared for. Without interpreters, I would have been so confused. I had never even broken a bone,” she said.

“It’s a miracle, and the interpreters and doctors were miracle workers,” Angela said. “They treat you like family.”

Denise Quattlebaum is a physician assistant who specializes in orthopedics and cared for Angela after the accident.

“She was quite concussed and suffered a bad trauma,” Quattlebaum said. “The fractures are quite painful.”

It’s typical for patients who have been in car accidents to be confused, but communication challenges would have made things even harder, Quattlebaum said.

“Lariisa was there all day,” Quattlebaum recalled. “It’s great to see these familiar faces like hers. They’re with us at the hospital every day. There’s a strong connection.”

While Angela suffered bad fractures, Quattlebaum said it’s typical for people like her to recover well.

“The surgeries are very successful on someone as young and healthy as Angela,” said Quattlebaum.

A baby girl who is growing well; a team of ASL interpreters and medical providers who are geared up to help

These days, Angela returns frequently to clinics at the hospital for prenatal appointments and checkups with her obstetrical team. During a recent ultrasound, she and Shane eagerly watched as technicians checked on their baby’s growth.

Shane loves biology, so he kept an eye on his daughter’s arms, feet and organs. Angela noticed how calm their baby was. She seemed to be snoozing through the entire appointment. She tends to be a night owl who loves to kick and keep her mom up at night.

The verdict from the ultrasound was excellent.

Sydney’s size thus far puts her right in the middle of the growth charts. She’s healthy, and her head is down, so she appears ready to make her debut next month.

Interpreting for Shane and Angela throughout their recent visit was Ilise Meyers, who, like the other ASL interpreters, has grown close with the couple over the last three years. The Denver-based interpreters are all on standby, ready to support the couple during the birth.

Dr. Shannon Son, one of the maternal-fetal medicine specialists who is caring for the couple, said Angela and her baby are in great health.

“Some folks develop new issues like diabetes or high blood pressure during pregnancy, but Angela is doing well,” said Son, who is also an assistant professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine on the Anschutz Medical Campus.

Shane asked Son if Angela will be able to drive herself to the hospital if he happens to be far away when she goes into labor. (Yes, unless there’s an urgent medical issue in which case she should ask a friend or family member for help or should call 911.) Angela went over the details of what she should do if her water breaks. (Grab some towels and head to the hospital.)

Son loves answering questions, especially for first-time parents like Angela and Shane.

“It’s wonderful when patients feel comfortable talking about things that they’re nervous about. We’ll continue making sure that we’re keeping her safe and healthy,” Son said. “We’re here for them.”

Son also raved about Ilise’s help.

“In-person interpretation is life changing. They are able to capture many more of the nuances,” Son said.

At times in the past, when an in-person interpreter was not available, Son has occasionally had to use off-site interpreters who communicate with Deaf patients via iPads.

Working with in-person interpreters is much easier.

“We, as humans, communicate in so many different ways. Having in-person interpreters makes a world of difference as we connect with our patients and make sure they fully understand what we’re discussing,” said Son.

‘Australia captured our hearts.’ Soon baby Sydney will too.

During the Lavins’ trip to Australia, they loved seeing all sorts of animals, from red pandas to cheetahs and echidnas, which are similar to porcupines.

“We got to hold a koala,” Angela said. “Australia captured our hearts.”

Now, the couple is looking forward to meeting another little being who also will capture their hearts.

Pam Lavin is thrilled to become a grandmother and is excited to see how Shane and Angela develop as parents.

“Their lives aren’t any different than any of my friends who have kids. Angela and Shane go after whatever they want. They don’t let anything hold them back. They stand up for their rights,” Pam said.

“They’re just like all of us. They just can’t hear.”

Her advice to hearing people is to be patient if they encounter a Deaf person and don’t know how to communicate with them.

“Write down what you want to say or use a phone. There are wonderful apps,” she said.

When Shane was young, parents were taught a different sign language that’s based on English and isn’t nearly as beautiful, fluid or visual as ASL. Pam wishes she had learned ASL. She manages to communicate well with both Shane and Angela, but she’s pondering learning ASL alongside her granddaughter.

“I don’t care if she’s Deaf or hearing, as long as she’s a healthy little girl,” Pam said. “We can’t wait to meet her.”