Benjamin Welker loves to run.
At just 13 years old, Welker is passionate about his sport. The – Burley, Idaho, resident is continually hitting new personal records and constantly on the move.
“Ever since he was little, Ben has always been very active,” said Mackenzie, Welker’s mom. “He’s always moving and wanting to try new things.”
Beyond running, Welker loves spending time with his family and friends, hiking, backpacking, and playing the cello and the piano.
A few years ago, Welker and his family noticed an indentation in the center of his chest. Beyond looking a little different, they weren’t concerned—until he started to have symptoms. At a routine checkup, Welker’s mom mentioned Welker’s symptoms—sharp pains near his lungs and chest, along with difficulty breathing—to the doctor.
"We didn’t even know pectus excavatum was a thing at that point. We told the pediatrician that Ben’s chest cavity seems a little bit deeper than we would expect it to be, and he’s having difficulty running."
Right away, Welker was diagnosed with pectus excavatum and sent to a regional hospital in Burley, Idaho, for an echocardiogram and a CT scan.
“They were looking to see how severe his pectus excavatum was and if it was damaging his heart or lungs,” Mackenzie said. “It was compressing and pushing on his organs, but at that point, gratefully there was no damage.”
Welker’s parents decided to travel to University of Utah Health to see a pectus excavatum specialist. The decision to come to Salt Lake City for their son’s care was an easy one.
"We just heard so many good things about other people we knew who had gone to Utah. We thought it would be the best option. It put my mind at ease that the entire pectus team has so much experience."
Welker met with Robert A. Swendiman, MD, serves as the trauma medical director for Primary Children’s Hospital – Miller Campus in Lehi. He is also one of two surgeons at the complex inflammatory bowel disease clinic.
Swendiman and his team see between 100 and 150 kids a year with pectus excavatum. Each patient undergoes extensive imaging and testing to determine if surgery is required. Welker’s CT scan showed that his Haller index—the measurement of the depth of the indentation—was 4.25. Anything above 3.25 is considered severe.
“Ben was very symptomatic,” Swendiman said. “He had significant shortness of breath and qualified for the NUSS procedure.”
In the NUSS procedure, titanium bars are placed inside the chest wall to bump out the chest. The bars are kept in place for three to four years, and when they are removed, the chest holds its new shape.
Welker wanted to run one last race before his surgery. On Thanksgiving 2024, he ran a 5K in Idaho Falls. While he did cross the finish line, he wasn’t able to take the deep breaths he needed throughout the race.
He had surgery a few weeks later, on December 6, 2024.
“Dr. Swendiman was so awesome,” Mackenzie said. “He came to check on Ben on his day off to make sure everything had gone well.”
She describes before and after surgery as a “night and day difference” for her son once he fully recovered. Swendiman agrees.
“The whole goal for Ben was to get him feeling better and get him back to running and doing what he loves,” Swendiman said. “We always want exceptional correction for our patients, and we were able to achieve that for Ben.”
Welker will check in with Swendiman yearly until he has his bars removed.
"Dr. Swendiman is super uplifting and has been a great cheerleader for Ben throughout this entire process. We are so grateful that it worked out so well and that Dr. Swendiman knew just what we needed."
Welker, who just finished 7th grade, ran the same Thanksgiving Day race in 2025. Not only did he get a personal best time, but he also had a significant improvement in his breathing—and no pain at all. "It's fun to be with my friends and do better each time,” he said. “I love running!”
He’s also back to doing everything else he loves: camping, hiking, backpacking trips, running track and cross country, playing baseball, and playing his instruments.
More importantly, he can breathe.
“The biggest thing I’ve been grateful for is to see him have the ability to take a deep breath when he needs one, whether it’s just because he’s had a long day or he’s physically exerting himself through sports,” Mackenzie said. “His body is happy, and he is growing and doing so well.”
