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After lymphoma, Denver man launches hospital homies to spread joy

Devin Hays was 18 years old, playing hockey at Iowa State University when a persistent cough and chest pain led to an X-ray that changed his life.

September 19, 2025
Devin Hays standing, holding a heavy object.

He was transferred to HCA HealthONE Rocky Mountain Children’s at Presbyterian St. Luke’s for treatment of the tumor, a type of lymphoma.

“He had a very frightening and dramatic presentation,” Dr. John van Doorninck, an oncologist who helped treat Hays when he arrived in 2022, said. “The large tumor in his chest was compressing his heart and some of his respiratory structures, and so it was a medical emergency.”

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Learn more about HCA HealthONE Rocky Mountain Pediatric Oncology

Published:
September 19, 2025
Location:
HCA HealthONE Rocky Mountain Children's Presbyterian St. Luke's

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