About The Artist
John C. Sayer – Artist, Survivor, Inspiration
John C Sayer is a British Columbia based artist whose rich life experiences span digital art, painting, printmaking, mixed media, photography, writing and community engagement. A grade 9 teacher once recognized his imaginative spark, encouraged him to pursue art professionally; that advice ignited a lifelong journey in creative expression.
Triumph Over Adversity
On March 30, 2018, while riding his Harley Davidson in Richmond, John was struck by an SUV. The collision resulted in the amputation of his left leg above the knee, 38 upper-body fractures including both arms and hands as well as extensive internal injuries. Despite being given slim odds of survival, he fought through: A 9 day coma. Eight months of rehabilitation at Vancouver’s Holy Family Hospital where he took his first prosthetic step shortly after discharge. Intense Emotional and physical recovery, supported by his wife Sue, his friends and paramedics who became central figures in his story has since caused him to be affectionately dubbed:
** “Hard To Kill!” by the Richmond News!
** The Prince George Citizen and
** Vancouver is Awesome!
John’s strength, resilience, unwavering positivity, and defiant spirit with a great sense of humour and the ability to bounce back time and time again have made him an inspiration to many.
To honour those who saved him, John gifted original prints of his artwork to his paramedics, expressing profound gratitude in a personal creative gesture.
The Sentinel captured that historic moment here!
John is no stranger to being in the news. He was featured in The Beat Q&A! The Beat Q&A!
* In 2003 he was interviewed by the Richmond News for a feature in “The Beat – Arts & leisure”
* In 2007 the Richmond News Did this story on him – Creativity Springs from Chaos!
In 2021 John was publicly thanked on Facebook by Empower Physiotherapy
* In 2021 John was featured in a life changing documentary called: Veracity: The Psychedelic Frontier where he advocates for alternative methods of treating PTSD and mental health and has been helping people ever since. There is an edited version here and the full documentary here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2XWmPk9leQ
Today John C Sayer inspires artists, survivors, and mental health advocates across Canada and beyond. Through his art, his advocacy, and his unwavering resilience, he proves that creativity is not only a form of self-expression – it’s a powerful tool for healing, connection and transformation. He constantly inspires the people around him and uses his sense of humour, and his art as therapy and rehabilitation.
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