In celebration of Veteran’s Day, Healthy Hollywood would like to take a moment to honor those brave men and women who serve our country. I am always amazed when I meet a veteran who has had a debilitating injury from serving and his spirit is nothing less than positive and uplifting.
It truly makes me smile and instantly be grateful for all of the gifts I have been given in life. Something I often forget!
The other day, I had the incredible opportunity to meet wounded warrior Timothy Payne. Inspired by the horrors of 9/11, he enlisted right out of high school.
Timothy Payne (Courtesy of Timothy Payne)
“As soon as I saw the World Trade Center hit I was like, this is the time, this is not about me, this about this country,” he reveals to Healthy Hollywood.
The Buffalo native rose up the ranks to staff sergeant and on his third tour of duty in Afghanistan in July 2011, he stepped on an explosive.
“I was making my final check with the soldiers and that’s when I got blown – it was pretty intense. I remember everything I thought I was blown in half. They (his soldiers) started to bandage me up and they’re pulling branches out my legs,” recalls Tim.
Miraculously, Tim survived but lost both of his legs. He underwent 120 surgeries and admits there were moments of deep despair and even addiction to pain killers.
“It took months to heal and I’m like how am to transfer from the floor onto the wheelchair or how am I going to do this? Then it comes down to you just gotta do it one day at a time or one hour at time and know it’s going to be okay,” he adds.
As part of his recovery, Tim began to swim and deepen his faith in God. He actually believes his life-altering injury was a divine gift to get his act together and lead a more spiritual life.
“I believe there’s a reason for a lot of things that happened. I take it as a sign, and challenge and I never stop challenging myself. But, for all the other guys out there that are looking for strength, what I did is prayed for it and it worked. I continue to pray and when I swim, that’s like the best form of meditation because you’re physically working your body and you’re praying, so it’s the most amazing experience for me, ” explains Tim.
In fact, Tim credits swimming for his healing both physically and emotionally. Now, he’s motivated to help other injured soldiers regain a positive attitude. He’s written a book about his story entitled “The Bargain & The Squad Leader.”
And, he recently teamed up with the Achilles Freedom Team and completed the New York City marathon. And, he remembers the sheer joy of crossing the finish line, “Just all the people cheering me on…I was cheering them on…I was like you motivate me! I’m here for you! This is why I am doing this.”
Later this month, Tim will get prosthetic legs and he tells me after the operation he will be unstoppable, “I’m going to be stronger and people are going to see not a guy in a wheelchair but they’re going to see a guy running around on pogo stick legs being extremely motivated and that’s what I strive to be on daily basis. Just try to maintain my positive attitude and try to be a spirit of motivation for everybody.”
— Terri MacLeod
Copyright © 2024 by NBC Universal, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This material may not be republished, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.