An experienced parachutist and a few friends were out having fun in the skies above Albuquerque when a strong gust of wind caught his parachute. The parachute collapsed as he was nearing the ground. The devastating accident left him with two broken thighs, collapsed lungs and serious nerve damage.

The man faced a long, hard road to recovery.

After five months of grueling physical therapy, he was able to walk with the aid of a leg brace. He still suffers from nerve damage that leaves his left arm, hand and leg limp. But his spirit is strong, and he hasn't given up hope that with time he may still get back to full strength. Although he misses it quite a bit, he has no plans to dive again.

"The trauma and worry that I put my family and friends through was too much," he says. "I don't want that to happen again."