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As if let off a leash, 6-year-old Tyler Haws breaks from a slow walk into a jog as soon as he heads out into Rachel's Courtyard, the outdoor area suspended between wings of the Presbyterian Hospital building facing I-25.

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As if let off a leash, 6-year-old Tyler Haws breaks from a slow walk into a jog as soon as he heads out into Rachel's Courtyard, the outdoor area suspended between wings of the Presbyterian Hospital building facing I-25.

As he zips by in a motorized toy Jeep, he yells, "This is why I wanted it for Christmas!"

His dad, Tommy, confesses that he had not gotten him one.

For all who enter the courtyard, it is an escape from the clinical halls just on the other side of the door.

Tommy Haws believes it.

"We feel a little cooped up in those boxes, too," he said, referring to their hospital room.

Child Life Director Rebecca Armstrong says while the area was originally intended to serve only three children's medical units, Rachel's Courtyard has expanded to now serve 12 units for people of all ages.

"We wanted it to be available and comfortable for every generation," Armstrong said.

This, she said, is something she cherishes.

She says patients need more than medical treatment: They and their families need a place to feel at ease. In the five years since its construction, the courtyard has served as the backdrop for a baby shower and a few birthday parties. But most of all, it has been a sanctuary for children and adults who just need to let go of what is facing them inside.