Wed - April 13, 2005

About William...




William Tan

William Tan, who hales from Singapore, has been our beloved friend since Jess was first diagnosed with leukemia in 2001. We have met many heroes along this journey, and he measures tall among them all...especially because he so often focuses on Jess and Sarah and our family. He was partnered with Jess in the 2002 Boston Marathon, when he raced in the wheelchair division, and she waited at the finish line as his patient partner. Together they raised funds and awareness about childhood cancer, and the work at Children’s Hospital Boston and Dana Farber’s Jimmy Fund to research and treat the many different forms of cancer.

Since then, William has completed two post-doctoral degrees from Oxford University and Harvard University (he already holds a PhD with a professional specialization in cancer research) and has finished his medical training, too. And every year, he comes back to race for Jess.

Recently, he set himself the modest goal of participating in 7 marathons on 7 continents, though he wasn’t able to complete the Arctic marathon (he was the first wheelchair athlete to attempt it). The 2005 Boston Marathon is part of that goal. As ever, he rides for Jess.


Crossing the finish line!

William has been overcoming obstacles, especially when people told him he couldn’t do something due to his disability, since he was three years old and paralyzed from the waist down by polio. He sets high standards for himself, in his life as an athlete, as an educator, as a professional healer and researcher, and as a person who believes in making a difference in the lives of others.

Last year, he and Jess were able to cross the 2004 Boston Marathon finish line together. Who knew how rare such a moment of health and wellbeing would be? This year, we’ll cheer, at the finish line or wherever we may be, for his heroic efforts to inspire Jess and to make an Olympic-sized effort that symbolizes her winning spirit, too. William is a hero to us...and he says, children like Jess and her sister Sarah are his heroes. He understands them, all too well, and he knows the power they hold inside them to overcome and to accomplish amazing things, despite the odds.



Posted at 03:34 AM    

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