November 20, 2015
THIS WEEK IN
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LIFE
LOCAL
There’s more to Thanksgiving than just turkey and stuffing
Page 12
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Hospital’s new status may save more lives
HOMELESS IN DOUGLAS COUNTY
Parker Adventist now certified to treat major head, spine injuries By Chris Michlewicz cmichlewicz@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Before moving into their Highlands Ranch apartment, Michelle McCarty and her son, William, lived in their car for almost two months upon moving to Douglas County. For that time, William was among the more than 600 students classified as homeless in the Douglas County School District. More than 24,000 students in Colorado fall into that same category. Photo by Shanna Fortier
‘Our car was our bed’
By Shanna Fortier sfortier@colroadocommunitymedia.com
Following a recent designation as a Level-2 trauma center, Parker Adventist Hospital is poised to save more lives of critically-injured patients. The jump from Level 3 to 2 means Parker Adventist can now treat patients with major spinal cord and head injuries. It means having trauma surgeons present 24 hours a day and an operating room ready to go at a moment’s notice. Historically, patients had to be taken to Level-2 trauma centers like Littleton Lives continues on Page 4
THE ISSUE
Michelle McCarty, 46, and her 14-year-old son, William, slept in their 2003 Volkswagen Jetta wagon for almost two months when they first moved to Douglas County. Each night they moved the ice chest and suitcases to the front seat, laid out sleeping bags and pillows in the back, then stretched out next to each other. “Part of what people think when you say you’re living in your car is that you’re using your car as your house,” William said. “But, really, our car was not our house — our car was our bed.” For a short while this year, William was one of hundreds of Douglas County students considered homeless. Unlike many homeless youths in urban areas, they don’t necessarily live on the street. But, like William, they don’t have a permanent place to call home. Instead, they sleep on friends’ and relatives’ couches. Or in
In 2014-15, 637 students in Douglas County schools were classified as homeless. Living in one of the nation’s wealthiest counties, they are an invisible population. But their numbers are growing — lack of affordable housing and financial hardships are among the reasons. During National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, Nov. 14-22, Colorado Community Media tells the story of a mother and her teenage son, and on Pages 6 and 7 explores the issue and highlights an organization that is trying to help. hotels. Or cars, when options have run out. “I remember looking over at William sleeping and just crying because I felt like I was putting him through this,” McCarty Homeless continues on Page 7
Dr. Chris Winter, director of trauma services at Parker Adventist Hospital, helped oversee the preparation for becoming a Level-2 trauma center. Courtesy photo
Techie moves up fast in business world uBreakiFix store managed by 22-year-old entrepreneur
By Chris Michlewicz cmichlewicz@coloradocommunitymedia.com Ingenuity, hard work and a twist of fate have turned Brandon Best into an entrepreneur with limitless potential. Best was working four different jobs at a mall when friends and coworkers found out that he’d fixed his own smartphone. They enlisted Best, then 18, to do the same for them, and before long, his frequent visits to get parts from an electronics repair shop called uBreakiFix got the attention of management. “They pulled me aside and called corporate on me,” he said with a laugh. It was good news. After finding out what Best was up to, they offered him a job, and within two years he was managing a uBreakiFix store in Centennial. Never again would he go back to the four-job grind.
Learning the craft For all of his knowledge of electronics, Best insists he wasn’t a techie growing up. After graduating from Chaparral High School, Best learned coding from his computer scientist dad. Although the rigid nature of programming wasn’t for him, Best’s dad did have an influence on him. “He’s somebody who really likes to buy the new devices and test them out, so I guess I’ve always been exposed to computers,” Best said during an interview Nov. 4 in the repair lab of his own uBreakiFix location in Parker. The shop specializes in same-day repairs for most small electronic devices, with specific expertise in smartphones. uBreakiFix opened Oct. 19 at 11211 Dransfeldt Road, Suite 161, in the SuperTarget shopping center. So how did Best master a trade that has made him a business owner at the young age of 22? Video tutorials he watched for free online. He learned how to dissect and diagnose, and even Techie continues on Page 4
Brandon Best, the 22-year-old owner of the uBreakiFix location in Parker, repairs a smart phone Nov. 4. Photo by Chris Michlewicz