Dr. William Tan Kian Meng is a tribute to the human spirit. From the devastation of contracting polio at age two to becoming Reader’s Digest Asian of the Year, this man is a complete life-instruction encyclopedia for those who seek change and improvement.
Now set to tackle his greatest life challenge, multiple marathons in 2007 to fundraise for Global Flying Hospitals... the world will soon watch in awe at this man attempts his new targets.
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Born in the Lion City; Singapore, in 1957, William was the third in the family of seven children, to parents who came from southern China. His parents’ joy became a nightmare though, when at only two years of age he was afflicted with poliomyelitis, becoming paralyzed from the waist down.
Tan’s parents were devastated. His father lost his job after frequent absenteeism due to hospital visits. So to support his wife and seven children he sold fried bananas as a street hawker. Tan stayed many months in hospital undergoing treatment. He grew up in the lonely existence of the hospital system, with a childhood filled with sicknesses and ill health. The family was too poor to afford a wheelchair, leg braces or crutches, so he crawled on the floor and ground. But these setbacks would not restrain him.
Despite of the huge challenges ahead, Tan gained entry into the Raffles Institution; the best school in Singapore. This was his launching pad for the rocket-ride to achievement. Throughout the ensuing years, against all odds he fulfilled his dream of becoming a scientist … and a physician, an almost unbelievable task for a wheelchair bound paraplegic to gain entry into medical schools and into the profession in competition with his able-bodied contemporaries.
Tan’s philosophy though is to see life as a journey, not a destination. He sees success as the attainment of personal goals in a spectrum of areas that make up a whole person. From his family life, relationships, sports, giving to the community and in achieving targets in his career. For this 49 year-old super achiever, his entire life has been dedicated to achieving success and in helping others to attain their successes.
Tan has heroes to emulate though! He lists people like Dale Carnegie, Andrew Matthews, Napoleon Hill, Christopher Reeve, Lance Armstrong, Stephen Covey, Tony Buzan, Albert Schweitzer and Mother Teresa. And in this eclectic group, he identifies mostly with the late Christopher Reeve. Although they became disabled at different times of their lives, they both made the best of what they had. They have used their physical challenges to bring great awareness of the plight of the physically disabled and what society can do to assist. For over 18 years Tan has used sports for this aim, and has raised over $14 million for various charities in Singapore and internationally.
Tan’s journey to success has not been smooth. He has endured many heartbreak hills. From poliomyelitis, financial problems and a lack of food in his family, through to the many rejections from medical schools. Singapore’s only medical school rejected him. His family could not afford to send him overseas. But he pushed on and still made it. However, even after admission into the only school that would have him, his professor in emergency medicine singled Tan out in his first month, in front of his class, saying; “You are wasting a place in this school, it could have been given to an able-bodied candidate instead!”
But Tan’s indomitable spirit pushed him on. He has never allowed obstacle to be failures in life – just temporary setbacks. He learns from them and even believes that as long as he has given his best, yet it turns out not as expected, it is simply not failure.
His achievements hide his humble beginning. Holder of a First Class Honors in Physiology, this Harvard University’s Fulbright Scholar and Oxford University’s Raffles Scholar also trained at the world-renowned Mayo Clinic. He’s the highly acclaimed Singaporean neuroscientist and medical doctor. In 2001 he was awarded the Albert Schweitzer Prize awarded by Harvard University for a graduating student whose past work and current activities have been marked by a "reverence for life" and who has sought, as expressed by Schweitzer, to "make my life my argument!”
In 2003, he was honored with the Reader's Digest Inspiring Asian Award which “recognizes deserving individuals who demonstrate they have made a difference and are encouraging others to do so”. And if this is not enough, on the 26th February 2005, he was the first person in the world to undertake a wheelchair marathon in Antarctica as part of his ‘seven continents’ global marathon challenge in 70 days to break the Guinness World Record to raise funds for childhood cancer.
Tan has willpower, by the truckload! He says that within all of us is such immense power that it can be harnessed to change our lives, to attain greater heights. He encourages us to push our limits and redefine what is humanly possible. His life’s motto is; ‘persevere in the face of adversity’. He believes we must always stay focused on what we set out to achieve … and this is his hallmark; focus! He believes that we can make a huge difference in the world today. If only we make an effort to give of our talents, time and money to a chosen cause worldwide… and not simply live a self-centered life. Tan believes in going the extra mile and in having a mindset to go the extra mile. He states that many are content to meet minimum requirements and as a consequence they never achieve much.
But for Tan, his personal goals are overshadowed by his desire to relieve pain and suffering. His joy is in helping people regain their health and witness them happily walking out of hospital.
Tan relates the story of the woman who approached him in a supermarket to remind him that he delivered her baby several years back when he was still a medical student. She specifically remembered him, not because of his wheelchair, but because it was a particularly hard labor and she recalled how patient and supportive he was. Tan had spent 16 long arduous hours caring for her as she struggled through her first labor.
What more can this man achieve? What new goals can he achieve -- wheelchair bound? His personal ambition is to promote world peace through his marathon sports and his career in medicine. He is not at the end of his achievements, but now stands at the starting line to the future!
Dr. William Tan is an extraordinary man. He inspires us all. This ‘disabled’ man is out to raise millions to support Global Flying Hospitals. What’s more, he is the Chair of the Medical Advisory Board of GFH.
When asked for parting words for the readers of LALLOUZ INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE, he immediately had this to say:
“NEVER SHY AWAY FROM CHALLENGES. Maximize your potential. Seize every opportunity to make a difference in our world. Seize every day. Be exampled by Mr. Neill Newton and his team at Global Flying Hospitals, who are making a huge impact to bring healing to developing nations by building the world’s medical airline. Go the extra mile… and turn yourself into a winner!”
