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Dr. Khalid Abulmajd
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We are often moved by the success stories of everyday heroes. But nothing compares to the moment when you meet one in person. In 2017, I had the privilege of meeting Dr. William Tan—a man whose life redefines resilience, courage, and purpose.
I still remember his words:
“I am training very hard in hope to participate in the Paralympic Games in Tokyo 2020.”
At that moment, I realized he was someone who simply would never give up. What struck me most was not just his dream, but the way he had already conquered battles most of us cannot even imagine—defeating leukemia, rising above his disability, and transforming his pain into power.
For me, he was already extraordinary. But for him, the story wasn’t finished. He believed his life’s purpose was not only about personal victories, but also about giving back to the world as long as he lived.
Born in 1957, William Tan was stricken with polio at just two years old, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. His father was a street vendor, and his early years were filled with hardship.
At kindergarten, he faced relentless bullying from classmates who couldn’t accept his differences. Eventually, he was even expelled.
As if life hadn’t already been unkind, tragedy struck again: he was diagnosed with Stage 4 leukemia, with doctors giving him no more than 12 months to live.
Yet, William Tan refused to let his circumstances dictate his destiny. He pursued education with fierce determination—graduating from the National University of Singapore, earning a First-Class Honours degree in Physiology from Harvard University, and building a career in medicine.
At the same time, he became a world-class athlete. He won triple gold at the Asian-Pacific Games, competed in the 1988 Seoul Paralympics, the World Games, and the Commonwealth Games, and broke six endurance marathon world records, including the fastest completion of three marathons in three countries across three consecutive days.
But his achievements didn’t stop at sports. He turned every race, every challenge, into an opportunity to serve others—raising more than $18 million for charities worldwide.
In 2007, Dr. Tan became the first person ever to complete a marathon in a wheelchair at the North Pole, braving –25°C temperatures to raise funds for Global Flying Hospitals.
That same year, he became the fastest man on earth to finish 7 marathons across 7 continents in 26 days, raising money for charities worldwide.
Even after his leukemia diagnosis in 2009, while undergoing grueling chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant, he continued to fight—not only for himself, but for underprivileged cancer patients in Singapore who could not afford treatment.
Amazingly, just a year after his transplant, he was back—completing two full marathons with better finishing times than before his illness.
In 2014 and 2015, he hand-cycled from London to Paris, covering 500 km in four days, raising funds for leukemia and lymphoma research across the globe.
Dr. Tan’s battle with end-stage leukemia has been his longest and most painful race. Yet, he continues to face it with the same determination, faith, and resilience that have defined his entire life.
Meeting Dr. Tan was a turning point for me. His story forced me to reflect deeply on my own life. I asked myself: What if I could go back in time? Of course, none of us can start over. But his journey taught me something profound—
👉 We may not be able to rewrite our beginnings, but we can always choose to create a new ending.
Dr. William Tan’s life is a living testimony that adversity does not define us—it refines us. His journey is a call to all of us: to rise above, to keep fighting, and to transform our struggles into a source of strength and hope for others.
✨ In the end, true greatness is not about what we achieve for ourselves, but about how much we give back to the world—despite the odds.
