Eric Payne finds inspiration after loss of his leg
Life hasn’t been the same since Eric Payne had one of his legs amputated following a motorcycle accident involving him and the 12-year-old son of his friend Michael Tops.
The accident meant Payne’s 23year military career was over and it was a “dark time” for him.
“There’s an adjustment period that goes on,” he says. “I don’t want to say it ruined everything and that my life sucked, but it was hard crawling out of that.”
Payne says he’s since rebounded, and now serves as a motivational speaker through the Soldier On program, aimed at helping Canadian veterans adapt to living with permanent physical and mental health injuries.
Payne’s learned resilience plays a vital role in the recovery of anyone affected by injury, whether the result of a car accident or some other factor.
“My resilience has helped me face a world that is now totally different for me,” he says.
Payne recalls marking the 10th anniversary with the Tops family in Coldbrook as a special moment. His experience now, “serves as inspiration when I talk to others about what it’s like to be resilient.”
Tops says the two have remained close since the accident, and regardless of what caused it, placing blame was never a priority.