Dr William Tan came to my school today. He was very nice, very funny and very inspirational. Despite all the shit things that happened in his life, he still persevered and didn't give up and I really admire his courage and strength to face life with vigor, even when it pelts him with everything undesirable.Dr Tan personifies both passion and compassion. Born in 1957, he contracted polio at the age of two and was paralysed from the waist down. Notwithstanding his disability, he has shown outstanding strength in overcoming adversities. From a kindergarten drop-out, he topped Selegie Primary and went to Raffles Institution on a Ministry of Education Scholarship for his secondary and Pre-University education. The NUS Alumnus who majored in Biology and Psychology joined the Civil Service after graduation in 1980. In pursuit of his dream to become a scientist and medical doctor, he ventured abroad for postgraduate studies in 1989. Holder of a First Class Honours in Physiology, this Harvard University's Fulbright Scholar and Oxford University's Raffles Scholar has also trained at the world-renowned Mayo Clinic in USA.
Dr Tan is also an accomplished sportsman. A Singapore wheelchair marathon champion, he has competed in many international games including the 1988 Seoul Paralympics, the Commonwealth Games as well as the Asia-Pacific Games. Last April, he competed in both the London Marathon and Boston Marathon within a week, which is a rare accomplishment. In 1987, he realized that, "winning medals, trophies or prize money should not be an end to itself. It should be a means to further goodness and to help people." Since then, he has devoted to championing as well as fundraising for needy causes in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom. He has skydived, water-skied, sailed and even climbed a 14-storey building to raise money. Some of his ultramarathon endeavours included wheelchair pushes across the length of New Zealand, Singapore to Penang, Thailand to Singapore, Boston to New York to Washington DC. He has helped raised more than $14 million for charities locally and internationally, over the last 18 years.
I almost teared up when I watched the video he showed us. He truly was a character and I don't know how he made it to 52, which he is now, but I guess God placed these kind of strong people on earth so we could learn from it. In his time there were no crutches/wheelchairs or he couldn't afford one, because he came from poverty, and he had to go around dragging himself with his hands. Especially since his primary school was multi-storied, his sister had to carry him all the way up. He got bullied a lot though but he never once thought that he was about to give up. He's a good man really. And I think he absolutely deserves every single good thing he achieves and gets.
P.S: Anybody from MJ need CIP opportunities tell me. There's a lack of volunteers for tutoring. :D
