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SANDY — The world is Colton Brockbank's playground.
The extreme sports enthusiast rides snowboards and wakeboards. He's appeared on the hit show "Nitro Circus" and he's spent a lot of time in the ER.
Brockbank's broken his back twice. He's had multiple concussions and recently had surgery on his foot and ankle and separated his shoulder.
Brockbank's longtime girlfriend, Taylor Nahoolewa, has also spent a lot of time in the ER by his side.
"I get hurt too much," Brockbank said. "She's really nervous about me continuing to do the sports that I'm doing."
On Valentine's Day, Brockbank told Nahoolewa he was filming some snowboarding stunts in Park City and was nervous he'd get hurt.
That afternoon, he was in the emergency room at Alta View Hospital — but he wasn’t hurt.
"She thinks that I just got hurt snowboarding today — I didn't get hurt snowboarding today," he said.
Instead, this trip to the ER was all part of an elaborate plan to give the love of his life the surprise of her life.
Colton coordinated with doctors and nurses he's gotten to know pretty well over the years and set up a plan to have his friends tell his girlfriend he'd gotten hurt pretty bad and may have even broken his back again.
"Everything is going through my head," Taylor said about walking into the hospital room. "What if he's paralyzed? What if he can't walk again?"
Nahoolewa was led to Brockbank's hospital room and walked right to his side. She asked how he was feeling and he played the part, acting like he was feeling the effects of the pain medication.
He apologized and said, "I know I haven't always taken care of myself, but I want to take care of you."
That's when Brockbank revealed a bouquet of roses hidden under his blanket. Then he told her he'd had his mom help him get her something for Valentine's Day since he couldn't himself.
As Nahoolewa handed the flowers off to a friend, Brockbank took the chance to tear off his neck brace, stand up and walk to her side.
"I want to spend every single day of my life with you," he told her. "I love you more than I could ever imagine and I couldn’t think of a better way to surprise you."
Gasping, Nahoolewa had some choice words for her man before he dropped to one knee and asked her to marry him.
She instantly said, “Yes.”
"She's impossible to surprise," Brockbank said later. He said the hospital was the only place he could think of where she would be completely caught unaware.
It was a special moment, shared by the happy couple, their parents and the Alta View Hospital staff Brockbank has come to know and love over the years.
The couple is planning their wedding for May 10.
