CHARLOTTE, N.C. ( CHARLOTTE SPORTS LIVE ) — It was 2013, and Erik Bowen was living his best life.
“I got married, bought our first house, and went on a couple of crazy vacations,” he recalled.
He was also playing a lot of golf. And he was quite good.
“I was very solid all the way around. Plus .4 handicap at that time,” the 44-year-old remembers.
The game had always been there for the Charlotte resident. Through good times and bad.
“It’s a sport exactly like life, you can have the best breaks. You can have the worst breaks, but you can still work on it and make things better,” he said.
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It was a lesson learned the hard way, when late that year, everything changed in an instant.
“In December, the week before Christmas, I got sick,” he said.
Bowen thought it was the flu, but it just kept getting worse.
“I got strep; that became septic, and pneumonia stepped in too.”
He was hit with a triple whammy! And as Bowen would soon learn from doctors, things were about to get worse.
‘They were like breaking the news to me (that) eventually you are going to have your feet amputated.”
From living his best life, to a life he never imagined.
“It really sucked. It was horrible. My wife and I were like, ‘There is no way, that can’t be,’” Bowen said.
Charlotte native punches ticket to Paris in 400-meter hurdles Golf was suddenly not there for him. But friends were.
And in his darkest hour that spring, they were quick to remind, him that he had not played his last hole.
“Okay, you know there is a lot of stuff out there,” he said. “Once I got my first prostatic legs, I said that’s when I want to get back on the golf course.”
By June of 2014, he was.
Granted, Bowen was rusty, but he was also motivated. Little by little, his game improved.
“I lost a little distance, but it helped me, I kind of gained some accuracy,” he smiled.
Some love it, most hate it, but for Erik, walking the course again became a source of pride. He was back.
These days, he spends his free time competing in tournaments against both non-disabled and disabled competitors.
At one point, he got his handicap back to zero. But more importantly, with the help of the sport he loves, he’s gained a new perspective on life.
“Bad day on the golf course? There are a lot worse things out there.”
Yes, as it turns out, your best life is still possible, no matter what hazards stand in your way.
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