That state of mind Dennen described was challenged on June 23, 2018. “I had to say, ‘Well I don’t know what’s going to happen, but be calm,’” he recalled.

On his third jump of the day, during the landing, a huge gust of wind slammed Dennen through a cattle fence and into the side of an airplane hangar at 30 miles per hour. The impact was so hard that several of his ribs broke, forcing his heart from the left side of his body to the right. Dennen also ended up with 20 broken bones and injuries to several organs. He spent eight days in a coma.

“They had to fix my colon, fix my spleen, put my heart back,” Dennen explained.

While Dennen was in the hospital, he decided to set some goals for himself.

“I thought, if I do a triathlon again, that means my legs work, my heart works," he said. "There’s no hiding in a triathlon. You have to use all parts of your body. So, if I do that, it proves everything works again.”

Less than two years after his accident, Dennen competed in a triathlon. He says telling his story creates connection with other people, which is why he considers the accident a gift.

“The story is just an entryway to help someone else," he elaborated. "It’s a shock and awe story, but when you go beyond, ‘You hit a building,’ it’s more about ‘Are you happy with your life?’”

And Dennen is happy with his life. “I just think [now] I stop and contemplate things. Where before I was [going] 100 miles an hour. But I know there’s time to step back and say, ‘Are you fulfilling your purpose?’"

William Peterson is a senior photojournalist at Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach him at williampeterson@rmpbs.org.

Dana Knowles is the managing editor at Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach her at danaknowles@rmpbs.org.