A Life-Changing Journey

When Dan Dye thinks back to the afternoon of January 7, 2017, he takes a deep breath. “Looking back, our faith is stronger today, our family is closer, our friendships are deeper, and our lives are richer because a terrible thing happened. However, that terrible thing has brought a lot of good,” he says. “And we owe so much to Craig Hospital.”

He adds, “Our lives were forever changed in a matter of seconds on that day. But Alea miraculously survived her accident and is thriving today. We feel so grateful for the amazing care she received. Miracles really do happen at Craig.”

Fighting for Life

On a Saturday afternoon in early January 2017, Dan and his wife, Alea, were enjoying the mountains outside of Leadville, Colorado, with some friends.

Getting ready to try a snowmobile for the first time, Alea was cautiously trying to engage the throttle, when the snowmobile suddenly lurched forward. Her instinct was to squeeze the brake but instead she pushed the throttle fully open and the snowmobile launched at full acceleration across the driveway, hitting a tree and sending her headfirst into the tree.

“I ran to Alea and pulled her out of the deep snow where she landed after hitting the tree,” Dan recalls. “We were able to get her breathing again until the ambulance made it up the mountain about 45 minutes later.”

The ambulance raced Alea to a Flight for Life helicopter that was waiting to fly her to a Level One trauma hospital in Denver.

There, she spent 17 days in the ICU before moving to Craig Hospital to begin her neurorehabilitation journey. Diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury (TBI), Alea was also managing fluid build-up and blood clots in her lungs, which ultimately required lung surgery.

“Craig was nothing short of remarkable. They knew exactly what Alea needed and how to treat her,” Dan says. “Her care team was an extraordinary group, each uniquely gifted to provide the specific guidance, support and encouragement that Alea needed. They literally became an extension of our family.”

He adds, “Craig’s team approach was so effective because her therapists and doctors all worked together across every area— with Alea’s overall recovery as the overarching goal.”

After two-and-a-half months at Craig, Alea was discharged in late March. She continued her rehabilitation as an outpatient at Craig for the next six months.

Giving Back

Today, Alea is achieving her goal of living a full life, packed with lots of playtime with her beloved grandchildren. Her lingering effect from the accident is a narrow airway, due to scar tissue in her throat.

“That means she can never run a marathon, but Alea is fine with that,” Dan says with a laugh. “Considering she was close to death back in early 2017, we feel very thankful today.”

Since Alea’s time at Craig, Dan joined the Craig Hospital Foundation Board, and the Dye family has become committed donors. To honor Alea, they developed the Dye Family Brain Injury Endowment in 2022, which supports Craig’s cutting-edge brain injury research.

“We feel so blessed to have benefited from Craig’s treatments, doctors and therapists. It feels easy for us to give back and support others in need,” Dan explains. “It’s a small way for us to say thank you and help ensure that Craig can help others. Nobody wants to be at Craig, but when you are there, you feel so grateful for everything the hospital provides.”

He adds, “Craig’s spirit is so encouraging, motivating, and uplifting. They maintain a culture full of connections and care. Our family will never be the same after Alea’s accident, but we are better and stronger. Craig not only deepened our faith, but they urged us to reimagine tomorrow, which is exactly what we did.”

To learn more or donate to help patients like Alea, please visit craighospital.org/donate.