Beckett Todd Christensen

Beckett Todd Christensen was born to Samuel and Jenny Christensen just after midnight on April 19, 2011 in Thornton, Colorado. Although numerous ultrasounds were done out of concern of his appeared small size, his heart defects were not caught in utero. He was 6 pounds, 10 ounces. He was immediately taken by ambulance to Presbyterian St. Lukes in Denver. He was diagnosed with a heart condition - Tetralogy of Fallot with absent pulmonary valve. The medical team thought Beckett needed immediate open heart surgery, then surgery in a few days, then weeks, then because he was doing so well, he was able to be discharged at 2 weeks on oxygen and open heart surgery was set for when he was 4 months old, an ideal time to operate. He was the biggest baby in the NICU. His cardiac care was transferred to Children’s Hospital Colorado.

Beckett’s parents, Sam and Jenny, were told Beckett had a 90% chance of surviving open heart surgery. He was given a target weight to get to so Jenny worked diligently to get Beckett to eat enough to get to that weight. His older siblings, Collin and Natalie, were the best of friends and played well together so Jenny could care for Beckett. Sam worked hard in finance to support the family. It was difficult to care for Beckett because it would put strain on his heart to eat and cry or get sick. He did not achieve that weight and Sam and Jenny were very apprehensive going into surgery. It was a success and immediately after surgery when Jenny fed Beckett, he ate better right after surgery than ever before.

Beckett received precautionary early intervention in their home until age 3. At age 2, Sam and Jenny felt a longing to leave Denver and the traumatic memories of Beckett’s birth and surgery. Sam secured a job at then, Mercy, and they moved to Durango in July of 2013.

Beckett’s younger sister, Mia was born in 2014 and soon after, Sam’s job was relocated back to Denver. By then, the family had grown attached to Durango and the community. Sam decided to start a business, which evolved into Durango Ski & Patio. Beckett attended half-day preschool at Needham Elementary with several of his current friends and underwent a cardiac cath procedure to completely remove the artificial pulmonary valve. Beckett’s youngest sister, Elsie, was born in 2016. Later in 2016, right before Beckett started kindergarten, he needed his second open heart surgery because he was not doing well without a pulmonary valve. The surgery was a success and they placed a new artificial pulmonary valve. He attended Riverview Elementary from kindergarten through 3rd grade and loved going to school. At Jenny’s insistence and school support, he repeated 1st grade twice to give him a chance to catch up with his peers. Beckett received multiple cardiac caths through his life to care for his pulmonary valve.

Jenny went back to work as a teacher at Needham and Beckett transferred to Mountain Middle School and had many wonderful teachers and experiences from 4th grade to 8th grade. His two younger sisters also attended Mountain and Beckett kept them safe as they all walked to Needham after school to Jenny. Towards the end of middle school, Beckett found a passion for tennis through his Grandpa and older sister, Natalie. He was also a diligent piano student and took lessons with his siblings for many years. He was a chess master and loved to play chess matches on his laptop. Adults from the community told us they couldn’t beat Beckett in chess. He excelled in math but disliked to read. The only books his mom could get him to read were Diary of a Wimpy Kid and scriptures. He was very social and it was hard for him not to talk to his friends during class but he tried his best. He loved to snowboard moguls. 

The year of 2025 was a difficult year for the Christensen family. Beckett had a cardiac arrest at a tennis tournament at Durango High School in August, just after having a stress test done in Colorado Springs. He was life flighted to Children’s with Jenny and it was a miracle he survived. An ICD/pacemaker was implanted to keep him safe. Soon after, his beloved Grandpa passed from cancer. His older brother, Collin, enlisted in the Army and will soon go to Poland with his unit. A cardiac ablation procedure was done to keep Beckett safe over Fall Break of 2025. Throughout his life, Beckett’s doctors gave him no restrictions once he had recovered from procedures and he wanted to live a normal life. He got a detailed check-up with his medical team at Children’s in April of 2026 and was told all was well. 

Beckett had a wonderful summer of playing tennis with his dad, Natalie, and friends. He thrived on a backpacking trip to Dark Canyon with his church youth group. The family spent a week in San Diego and Beckett boogie boarded for hours on the beach. He attended tennis camps with Natalie at BYU and UNM. He was working very hard to be an asset for the tennis team at Durango High School and excited to be at school with Natalie. They planned to go to lunch together everyday and were best friends. This past Saturday night, August 1st, 2026, Beckett felt strong pains in his left shoulder and heart. Jenny rushed him to the local Emergency Room where Sam joined from work. He was life flighted to Children’s with Jenny and pronounced dead at Children’s at 5:15 AM on Sunday, August 2nd, 2026. An autopsy has been completed but the family won’t know what happened until their detailed report is released in October. Beckett will be buried near his Grandpa and maternal ancestors in a private ceremony in Ephraim, Utah. Beckett was 15 years old and fought hard to live a normal and happy life and now can rest in eternal peace.