B.C. man overcomes 'nightmare' burns to create 'dream come true' life
When John Westhaver woke up in the hospital that day, he was terrified.
“What’s going on?! Where am I?!” John thought, realizing he was attached to countless machines and wrapped in bandages from head to toe. “What happened?!”
The last thing the then-18-year-old recalled was hanging out with his three friends. There was no memory of the fatal crash that made front page news, leaving John the sole survivor, now waking from a month-long coma.
“My whole world had changed,” John says. “I began living a nightmare.”
John suffered life-threatening burns over 75 per cent of his body.
“The pain was hell,” John says. “Hell on earth.”
The physical pain could be overwhelming. The emotional pain was unrelenting.
“I was devastated by the fact that I had lost those friends,” John says. “And I was like, ‘Who’s going to want to date me? Will I be alone forever? Will I have a family?’”
John says he learned to endure the trauma by developing a tough exterior fuelled by anger, until his dad encouraged him to forgive the driver of the other vehicle who caused the crash.
“At first I was like, ‘No way!’” John says.
But he took time to reflect and eventually did it.
“That simple act of forgiving him increased the quality of my life automatically, because I let go of a lot of that anger,” he says.
It was the first step in a journey of healing that eventually led John to stop suffering about his past and start being hopeful and courageous in his present.
“Why live in the past when your future’s ahead of you?” he says.
So John committed to turn his adversity into an opportunity, and began inspiring others through speaking engagements across North America.
He also tried online dating.
“To let somebody in to love you,” John says. “That’s the scariest thing in the world.”
But if you’re brave enough to open your heart, you just might find you're fortunate enough to find the perfect partner.
After countless “butterfly feeling” dates, Bri said “yes” to John’s proposal, followed by “I do” on their wedding day.
“If you would have told me that I would have this life, back when I woke up from the coma, when I was saying, ‘Why Me? Nobody’s ever going to love me again,’” John smiles. “I would have said, ‘You’re full of crap!’”
But love — it’s said — begets love. And now John, Bri and their three daughters are creating a life full of it.
“This is possible,” John smiles. “A guy that looks like me can have a happy, successful, full, rich life, like a rock star!”
You can turn your nightmares into the best dreams come true.
“And they’re still coming true,” John adds with a smile. “I just keep dreaming.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Ukraine marks its third Easter at war as it comes under fire from Russian drones and troops
As Ukraine marked its third Easter at war, Russia on Sunday launched a barrage of drones concentrated in Ukraine's east, wounding more than a dozen people, and claimed its troops took control of a village they had been targeting.
Maple Leafs eliminated from NHL playoffs with Game 7 OT loss to Bruins
Sheldon Keefe told his players hockey history would remember them one way or another.
What a judge's gag order on Trump means in his hush money case
A gag order bars Trump from commenting publicly on witnesses, jurors and some others connected to the matter. The New York judge already has found that Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, repeatedly violated the order, fined him US$9,000 and warning that jail could follow if he doesn't comply.
Should you save or splurge on makeup this summer?
If you're wondering whether you should splurge or save when it comes to buying skincare products and makeup this summer, we got some answers for you.
opinion You don't need to be an influencer to earn income from social media
How legitimate are claims by some content creators that the average person can earn passive income from social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram? Personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says it's quite possible, if you're willing to put in the initial time and effort.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Amid climate change warnings, Canadians lukewarm on electric vehicles
Amid scientists' warnings that nations need to transition away from fossil fuels to limit climate change, Canadians are still lukewarm on electric vehicles, according to a study conducted by Nanos Research for CTV News.
Madonna's biggest-ever concert transforms Rio's Copacabana beach into a massive dance floor
Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro's vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans.