News | Dept. of Surgery

Three near-fatal diseases later, this ‘clown’ is getting busy living

Written by UCHealth | September 30, 2020

Fran Etzkorn survived three life-threatening conditions so she could get back to clowning around.

Literally.

Her health care story, which unfolded at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital on the Anschutz Medical Campus (UCH), not only reflects Etzkorn’s grit and desire to continue to serve, but also encapsulates in a single patient’s story several stunning advances in medical science – advances that have enabled her remarkable recoveries from health emergencies spanning pulmonology, cardiology, and oncology.