Paralysed at 25 after a car accident, Paralympian Eric Ting went on to live his best life: “God is the One carrying me”

Growing up, Eric Ting always had things going for him.

The strapping young man was a Commando Officer during his National Service (NS) days and often had the favour of his superiors.

Eric (extreme left) serving at the National Day Parade in 1995.

After doing his NS, he landed a plum role at homegrown tech firm Creative Technology. Thereafter, his plan was to further his studies overseas, at his father’s expense.

“Life was smooth and good. I started clubbing and drinking with my friends who all loved to hang out with me,” Eric, now 54, told Salt&Light.

Eric (in blue and green stripes) with his colleagues from Creative Technology in 1996.

Though he used to serve actively in his church’s youth ministry, he found himself drifting further and further away from God during his working days. The final nail in the coffin: A failed relationship with a fellow church member which drove him give in to various “distractions”.

“God became irrelevant. I thought I did not need God,” added Eric. He flew to Australia to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology in 1997.

Eric (squatting in front) in his youth ministry days.

His first semester of school flew by quickly.

The road trip that changed everything 

During his semester break, his former colleagues from Creative Technology met him in Australia for a road trip. The plan was to drive from Brisbane to Sydney and then to Melbourne for some sightseeing.

Though it was winter in July then, the five of them were all nicely insulated in the warm car. Eric was driving while the rest were nodding off in their seats in the wee hours of the morning.

The car had just entered Melbourne from Sydney. Eric found himself drowsy while driving on what seemed like a never-ending road.

“My friend, who was seated next to me, was tasked to talk to me to keep me awake but he had fallen asleep. We were also supposed to take pit stops every two hours but I pushed forward hoping to cover more distance,” said Eric. He was 25 at the time.

Eric on a road trip with his friends during his semester break.

Before he knew it he had fallen asleep at the wheel. He woke up to realise that he had lost control of their maroon Toyota Tarago.

The car swerved dangerously to the left before hitting some road barriers. It flipped upside down and flew into some bushes before coming to a halt.

The three passengers at the back had been thrown out of the car onto the road. Eric was left dangling upside down while strapped in his seat. The only passenger that seemed unhurt was the friend sitting beside Eric.

“I realised I could not move my body at all so I asked him to pull me out. That was a mistake because on hindsight, my spinal cord was likely fractured then,” Eric told Salt&Light.

Eric was airlifted to a hospital by a helicopter, while the rest who sustained less severe injuries – one fractured a leg, the other broke a pelvis and the third had a head concussion – were sent to another hospital.

While Eric was drifting in and out of consciousness in hospital, he vaguely recalled doctors asking him if he could feel his legs.

The next day, his father and brother-in-law flew into Melbourne from Singapore and signed consent papers for his surgery. Doctors grafted bone from his hip and attempted to use it to fuse the fractures sustained by his spinal cord.

Overnight, a quadriplegic 

Unfortunately, the nerves in Eric’s spinal cord had been severed in the accident. Paralysed from his chest down, Eric lost the use of his legs and also his hands, which could not form a fist anymore.

Being sporty and fit all his life, Eric could not believe that he had just become a quadriplegic.

“The reality only sank in after a few days when I was being tube-fed and I fainted when they tried to sit me up,” Eric recalled to Salt&Light.

In the following days, his emotions circled from sadness to feeling lost to blaming himself for making bad decisions. He apologised profusely to his elderly parents who had to stay in Melbourne indefinitely to take care of him.

“I wasn’t angry with God. He was not in my life during the accident so I couldn’t blame Him for that. But in the months and years thereafter, I wondered why He allowed it to happen to me. I didn’t murder or bring harm to anyone, so why me?” Eric said candidly.

Over the next few months, Eric had a tough time adjusting to not only the loss of his legs and hands, but also the loss of his independence, dignity and privacy.

“I had to rely on others to help me do the most basic things. My father helped with caregiving while my mother cooked for me. I have never seen them age so much during such a short period of time,” Eric reflected. Till this day, he still feels the remorse of not being able to let his father enjoy his later years (before his Parkinson’s disease set in) doing things he would have enjoyed instead of taking care of him. 

It was also during this time that Eric began seeking answers for himself and his future. Though it was expensive and troublesome to arrange for transport to get himself to church, he went for various healing rallies.

“I was seeking healing for my heart and body but I ended up feeling disappointed when I did not get it,” he admitted.

Eric had to go through many arduous sessions of rehabilitation to re-learn how to use the remaining functions of his body.

Found by God and the church 

It was during a valley moment in his life that Eric caught a glimpse of how the God that he had believed in and served earnestly when he was young had never left him.

The church he had started attending linked him up with a Christian couple who had volunteered to drive his parents from their rented home to the hospital where Eric was receiving treatment.

“God brought them to us and I was really thankful because they ferried my parents to and from the hospital during those six months, which was such a great help,” he told Salt&Light.

Eric with the therapists who helped him with rehabilitation.

When he was finally discharged from the hospital half a year later, it was time for Eric to embark on other major adjustments in his life.

He intended to return to university in Brisbane to continue his studied. He had to learn to live independently in his hostel as his parents could not continue staying in Australia to help him.

Eric saw God’s hand of provision when he was able to receive medical benefits from the local Transport Accident Commission (TAC). The TAC is a Victorian government-owned organisation set up to pay for treatment and benefits for people injured in transport accidents.

All of Eric’s medical fees were paid for by the TAC and it also covered the costs of a home care assistant who came to his hostel room every day to help him with routine caregiving tasks. Without this support, Eric had no insurance and would not have been able to pay for all of it. His father was a former carpenter and shipyard worker who had to save hard in order to send his son to university overseas.

Eric learnt to settle into a simple routine. During the first few hours of each morning, the home care assistant would help him to get ready for school by assisting him with toileting, bathing and getting him clothed.

Then, he would leave for classes before returning home to study and rest.

“The first few months back at school was very tough. I didn’t know how to ask for help like getting others to help me open the door or get some food. Things only got better after I learnt how to let go of my pride and ego and just ask for the help I needed,” he recalled.

With his disability, Eric could no longer head out at night to go partying or clubbing.

“Life became slow motion after the accident,” he described. “With fewer distractions, I had more time to connect with God and pray.”

Seeing how God had been with him during his recovery in Melbourne, Eric joined an international church when he moved back to Brisbane.

He also joined a cell group whose members made the effort to go to his hostel room each time they met.

Eric with his fellow cell group members.

“We became quite close to each other. They added colour to my life, which can be quite mundane for a person living with disability. God brought people into my life so I was never lonely,” Eric told Salt&Light.

Returning home with two degrees

Though he felt that he was not academically inclined and often procrastinated when it came to assignments, Eric not only earned his Bachelor’s degree but proceeded to get a Master’s degree.

“God was with me in my daily life and things just felt into place, whether it was my studies or the financial aspect of things,” he said.

Besides covering his medical needs, the TAC also disbursed a lump sum to Eric based on the severity of his injury. That sum was enough to finance both his Bachelor’s degree from the Queensland University of Technology and a Master’s degree from University of Queensland.  

Despite his severe disability, Eric persisted in his studies and graduated with a Master’s degree in Electronic Commerce.

Eric returned to Singapore after completing his Master’s degree in 2001. In the initial years back, he stayed with his sister, and his parents also moved in to help care for him.

Once he had adjusted to life back in Singapore, Eric joined insurance firm Prudential as a financial advisor.

A new lease of life: Wheelchair racing

“I asked my friends to link me up to any sports I could try as I wanted to strengthen my body and keep fit,” said Eric, who used to enjoy playing tennis and roller-blading when he was young. 

Unable to grip with his hands following his spinal injury, Eric had learned adaptive ways to perform tasks like hold utensils or play sports. For example, to hold a racket, he would wrap his fingers firmly around the handle and secure them.

Eric connected with a wheelchair racing coach and soon found himself competing in the sport. In 2004, he even flew to Germany to have a custom racing chair made.

Eric picked up wheelchair racing in his 30s.

In the subsequent years, Eric represented Singapore in various overseas competitions. The sport brought him to countries such as the Netherlands, Brazil, China and Thailand.

Eric competed in international competitions.

“It was not so much about winning, but about me challenging myself against my own timing,” Eric explained.

His proudest moment was when his timing qualified him to represent Singapore in the 2008 Beijing Paralympics.

Eric qualified for the wheelchair racing sport at the Beijing Paralympics in 2008.

Although he came in last in the event, it was a memorable experience for him.

“If the accident had not happened to me, I wouldn’t have been able to represent my country in such a way. So even though I am still seeking answers to God’s purpose in allowing the accident to happen to me, I trust that He has and will come through for me this side of heaven,” Eric told Salt&Light.

He competed in wheelchair racing till 2015, when he felt the sport taking a toll on his body.

Picking up table tennis … and an ASEAN gold medal 

In 2015, a friend nudged Eric to give table tennis a try.

As his hand could not grip the table tennis bat, Eric used a cloth dressing to wrap the handle of the racket around his hands instead. 

At the tryouts, the door was opened for him to compete in the sport.

That same year, he joined the national team for table tennis in the ASEAN Para Games held in Singapore, and won a gold medal.

ASEAN Para Games 2025 where Eric’s team won the top spot. Next to him is fellow teammate Jason Chee, who lost his legs and left arm in a naval accident.

“It was unforgettable,” he said. “I remember celebrating with Singaporeans and my loved ones at Marina Bay Sands.”

Eric became the national team captain for the sport for a few years, and participated actively in many regional competitions.

“Through sports, doors were miraculously opened for me to give talks and share with others about my life in sports. I would talk about my faith as well. I was able to make an impact in a way that I might not have if I was able-bodied,” Eric told Salt&Light.

Marrying an able-bodied partner 

After the accident, Eric had two serious relationships that lasted several years, but each eventually broke down due to objections from his girlfriends’ parents.

“When it comes to their own children, there is a ‘not in my backyard’ mentality,” Eric said. “They (parents) carry certain beliefs, like thinking that persons with disability are unable to support their daughters.”

Eric eventually met Sharon Tan, a single mother of three, on dating website Match.com and they got married in 2016.

Eric got hitched later in life, after going through two rejections.

Eric was drawn to her appearance and the fact that they share the same Christian faith. His wife, who is able-bodied, was also attracted to his looks as well as his optimism and self-sufficiency.

“God let us to the right person at the right time. By the time we met each other, we knew what we wanted, knew our own limits and boundaries, and we weren’t bothered about what others would think if we got together,” said Eric, who got married at the age of 43. He and his wife worship at Boscombe Life Church in Joo Chiat, where Eric also serves as treasurer.  

Eric, now 54, has three stepchildren and dotes on his four grandchildren.

Eric with his beautiful four-generational family.

Looking back, Eric can only marvel at how God was the one “pulling strings” in the back end as his life journey unfolded.

“I am known for procrastinating or dragging my feet on things. But so many times, it was God getting the church, or sporting opportunities, to find me instead. Even when I wasn’t faithful, God showed His footprints in the sands of my life,” he said to Salt&Light.

Not one to shy away from legless puns, the quadriplegic declared: “He is the one carrying me, and us, through the ups and downs in life.”

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