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.
Recently, I have given back to the SCI community by speaking, mentoring and becoming a professional ‘connector.’ I am on the Board of Directors for UCP Wheels for Humanity and am passionate about being involved with Ralph’s Riders. Currently, I am working to create a non-profit organization, called ‘Looking Up Foundation’ that will raise awareness of disability issues and empower children, politicians and business leaders to be better human beings.