Tan was born in Singapore. He contracted polio when he was 2 years old, which caused him to be paralysed from the waist down.[1] He studied at Raffles Institution. In 1980, he graduated from Nanyang University (predecessor of NTU Singapore) with a Bachelor of Science. And in 1980 he applied to the University of Singapore's medical school, but was not accepted.[2] Instead, Tan entered the university as a science undergraduate, majoring in biology and psychology.[3] In 1989, he embarked on postgraduate studies, pursuing a master's degree in physiology at Harvard University where he graduated with first class honours as a Fulbright scholar.[4] While in the United States, he pursued a research fellowship in neurosurgery at the Mayo Clinic.[2] In 2002, he pursued a second master's degree in social work and social policy from the University of Oxford under a Chevening scholarship.[5] He also holds a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from Newcastle University and a doctorate of philosophy in neuroscience from the University of Auckland.[2][6]
In 2009, he was diagnosed with stage 4 leukemia, and doctors gave him 9 to 12 months to live. However, through aggressive treatment, his cancer went into remission.[7]
Sports career
Tan competed in the 1988 Seoul Paralympics. He was disqualified from two events for lane violations, because his homemade wheelchair could not drive straight.[8] He competed in the Asian-Pacific games, where he won three gold medals, the World Games and the Commonwealth Games.[4] He holds multiple world records, including the fastest marathon in a wheelchair across the seven continents,[9] and first person to complete a marathon in a wheelchair on the North Pole.[7] He has taken part in over 100 marathons.[1][10]
Tan uses marathons and other physical challenges as a means to raise money for charity. Events include hand-cycling from London to Paris and participating in ultramarathons.[1] In total he has raised over 18 million dollars for charity.[7] He received the Commonwealth Point of Light award for his fundraising.[1]
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