Robert Rohan Sandra Herrera Stefan Freeman Briana Walker Mark A. Willits Ernie Espinoza Greg Thompson Toby Forrest Anthony R. Orefice III Kyle Massey

"The RIDERS"

RIDER
 Stefan Freeman
Born: 1973
Date of Injury: May 1997
Type of Injury: Spinal Cord Injury, C6/C7
Current Home: Ladera Ranch, California

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." - Martin Luther King, Jr.


I was born in 1973 and grew up in Vail, Colorado. I enjoyed a wonderful childhood in the mountains, much of the time playing sports. Hockey and skiing were my passions. At the age of 16, I decided to spend the summer in Santa Cruz with my father. I liked it so much, I finished my last two years of high school at Santa Cruz High. While making a college scouting trip to Southern California, I fell in love with UC Santa Barbara and knew that is where I wanted to go.

After 6 months of traveling in Europe I enrolled at UCSB in January 1992. I majored in Cultural Anthropology with an emphasis in Business Economics. During my college days I joined Fiji fraternity and enjoyed promoting bands, throwing amazing parties and assorted events. I graduated in 1996 and decided to move back to Colorado and become a ‘ski bum’ for a year. I worked in a ski shop and skied 69 days that season.

Knowing the ‘real world’ was calling, I decided to move to Los Angeles and began my working career. On the way to Los Angeles I stopped in Santa Barbara to see my college friends. At a get-together in May 1997, I dove into a shallow pool, resulting in a C6/C7 complete spinal cord injury. I was 24 and paralyzed from the mid-chest down. I had no movement or feeling below the level of injury. I did 3 months of rehab at the University of Washington, and continued to live in Seattle for nearly a year. Wanting to get back into society, I moved to Los Angeles in 1998.

I spent the next 6 years working in the advertising/marketing industry. During that time, I got reacquainted with a college friend, Justine. We started dating and I moved to Orange County. I got a job in the financial services industry and we married in 2005. We had a son named Parker in 2007. We currently live in Ladera Ranch, where Justine works as an elementary teacher and I work with a network marketing company selling nutritional beverages, along with other projects. I also continue to be highly involved with the disabled community and currently serve on the Board of Directors of UCP Wheels for Humanity in North Hollywood.

"The RIDERS"

ROBERT ROHAN
SANDRA HERRERA
Stefan Freeman
BRIANA WALKER
MARK A. WILLITS
ERNIE ESPINOZA
GREG THOMPSON
TOBY FORREST
ANTHONY R. OREFICE III
KYLE MASSEY