| By Irene Tham |
CANCER-STRICKEN Dr William Tan is undergoing chemotherapy, but that is not stopping him from doing his part for charity.
Organised by students from the National University of Singapore's Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, the event on Aug 29 will see 40 of them cycling alongside the wheelchair-bound Dr Tan in a bid to raise $100,000 for needy patients.
The 80km ride will see them making half-hour pit stops at six hospitals islandwide.
'But I will cover only a short distance of 2km to 5km on my doctor's advice,' said Dr Tan, a medical doctor and neuroscientist who is suffering from cancer of the blood.
He wore two masks, to protect his weakened immune system due to chemotherapy, at a press conference on Saturday to publicise the event.
'I want to be a compliant patient,' said Dr Tan, who has taken part in wheelchair marathons in the Arctic and Antarctic.
After he was diagnosed with cancer in April, he said he struggled at first to accept that fact. But the hope of doing more with his life spurred him on.
His treatment costs also enlightened him on the limitations of Medisave, making it 'all the more necessary to continue' with the Ride for Hope 2009 project.
People may not have enough in their Medisave account to pay for treatment of chronic illnesses, which is why the buying of health insurance is recommended.
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