On a June day in 2017, Anchorage firefighter Ben Schultz took a horrific fall from a 100-foot-tall ladder.
While the Anchorage Fire Deptartment deemed its investigation of the situation inconclusive - stating they couldn't determine a specific cause of Schultz's fall, which apparently happened on a training day - one thing was certain: He was on the edge of death after suffering serious injuries, including broken bones, a punctured lung and severe brain damage.
"People get hurt, and then they get better," said Ben's father Jeff Schultz. "Brain injury is a whole different deal."
"We were told by the surgeon he wasn't sure Ben was going to survive," he said.
Immediately following the accident, Ben couldn't talk or even breathe on his own. He was transported to Providence Hospital in Anchorage on the slim chance he might survive.