Greg Colburn

A roofing subcontractor had negligently installed the material I was working on, and I fell more than 20 feet. I suffered extensive injuries that required multiple surgeries and forced me to be in a wheelchair for two years. If you’d asked me years ago what I’d be doing today, I’d have told you I’d be on a baseball field or working as a doctor. I was actually drafted by the Colorado Rockies out of high school, but I chose to play ball at the University of Washington as a student-athlete instead—and even worked as a carpenter to pay my way through college. That was my path, until one day everything changed. On October 10, 2002, I was working at Fire Station 81 in Sammamish, Washington. It was an overcast morning — nothing unusual. But by afternoon, the weather shifted fast. A roofing subcontractor asked for my help securing some new materials before the rain came in. I climbed the ladder and did what I was told. When I hit the ground, feet first, I felt pain like nothing I’d ever imagined. In that split second, my plans for the future vanished. At the hospital, they told me the truth: the main weight-bearing joints in both feet were shattered and dislocated. No more baseball. No more running. Permanent damage.