CAF Story | A Fight Beyond the Uniform
Video / January 16, 2026
Transcript
I was placed in a medically induced coma for six days. Upon waking, I was told by the doctors that, you know, I still couldn't breathe on my own without a machine. There was a good chance I wasn't going to be walking again and to very heavily consider leaving the military, leaving the job and the dream I've had for my entire life. And I couldn't let that happen. So, I pushed my hardest, grit my teeth and practiced that tenacity you get instilled in you in the military.
I am Corporal Tommy Sawyer. I serve in the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment.
I decided to join the CAF when I was about 3 or 4 years old because my great-grandfather was on the tanks in the 40s and he was a very avid military history buff. So, when I was two or three years old, we just became like so and he taught me everything I knew at the time about military and military history. In 2018, I finally swore my oath to join. I signed the dotted line; off I went to basic training. At the beginning of basic training, I felt absolutely fine. Towards the end though, started getting some pretty bad headaches and we chalked it up to a number of different things, potentially lack of sleep, stress, all that stuff. But the headaches kept on getting worse and worse. So eventually I got checked by the medical officers.
They sent me to a specialist who then took a CT scan, found a growth in my brain, and I was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumour. And I was left to make the decision at the age of 21 on whether or not I wanted to go for a less risky option for treatment or a more riskier option that had a potentially higher benefit. So, I chose the more risky option, which was going for a full surgery. And in February of 2019, I underwent said removal of the brain tumor. That is where you see the giant scar on the back of my head.
It was one of the most frustrating feelings I've ever experienced in my entire life. Waking up from a coma, unable to write my name, unable to say my name, unable to tell my own parents that I love them. It was painful to say the least. But the most frustrating part was I remembered how to do everything in my own brain, but my body just wouldn't respond properly, and the brain body connection just wasn't there. So, we had to make new connections and that was a long and tedious and methodical process that took a lot of time. It was painstakingly slow at times and very frustrating at times.
I was barely able to walk to the end of my road and back without feeling like I was going to collapse from exhaustion. So, at first, I just started with simply practicing different breathing exercises with yoga such as pranayamas and whatnot. Then I went from that to doing actual yoga poses, stretches, that sort of thing. That turned into walking. Walking turned into jogging, jogging turned into running, and that slowly turned into me getting back to the gym. Training in martial arts as I have been in my entire life. Lifting weights again.
I had hit rock bottom with not being able to walk to the end of the road and back, so I knew that I needed to become the best version of myself that I could be. Not only did I do that for myself, but after becoming a personal trainer, nutrition coach, yoga instructor, and earning my Kru in Muay Thai, I now coach clients in the military, outside of the military, children, and that is my way of giving back outside of the military.
One of the many factors that propelled me forward to achieve that goal to recover fully was just simply having the amazing support system that I had in the CAF, as well as in my family, as well as all around the community that I live in. It was a beyond words that I can describe how amazing the support I felt was.
When I first got here. I started training right away and teaching right away at the gym. I managed to return to the ring for the first time in six years and for the first time after having brain cancer and treatment for the cancer. I competed at the Canadian Muay Thai Open. I came up a little bit short. The next time I get in the ring representing the Canadian military, I hope to do better.
I serve in the Canadian infantry. I serve in the third battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment. I am in November Company, which is an air assault company. We specialize in tactically inserting via helo, such as helocasting, like jumping out the back of the helicopter or repelling on a rope off the helicopter. I serve in 6 Platoon, which is the heavy weapons platoon. I'm a det commander in the anti-armour detachment and we do our best to do as much damage to the armoured vehicles as possible.
It's very easy to forget how badly it was for me and how badly things were going in in my direction at that time upon waking. So, every now and again, now that it's been half a decade plus, I'll start getting a little bit ungrateful for those things. And I need to remind myself. And when I do remind myself, that is when I have this feeling of absolute joy that I not only can walk, not only can breathe on my own, not only can write my own name, but I'm able to serve my country to the best of my abilities. And that there is no greater purpose for me than that.