An ecstatic Zachary Thiruman, five, riding in the chariot towed by Dr William Tan at yesterday's Cycle of Hope 2010. The event has raised $53,000 for the School Pocket Money Fund so far. -- ST PHOTO: SAMUEL HE

Dr William Tan had a busy day yesterday. From 9am to 7pm, the 52-year-old gave rides to 80 children.

He was at the National University of Singapore running track piloting his hand-cycle which had a chariot attached to the back.

'My youngest passenger was a one-year-old who did not cry. The other kids screamed with joy,' said the paraplegic athlete who is battling cancer.

'The kids are my bosses; if they want to go faster, I go faster,' he added of the event called Cycle Of Hope 2010.

Dr Tan co-organised it with the aim of raising $70,000 for The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund.

His efforts helped raise more than $17,000 in cash and cheques, with $36,000 received prior to the event.

Yesterday was also a milestone for Dr Tan as it marked 100 days after his six cycles of chemotherapy and his bone-marrow transplant for a deadly blood cancer.

Many such transplant patients do not manage to survive the 100 days due to infections or graft failure.

Dr Shirley Lim, 61, a mentor to Dr Tan since she was his teacher at Raffles Institution, co-organised the event.

'We treated his sickness like a marathon. Today is like a celebration, and we've received unexpectedly good results,' she said.

'He has dreams and, as a mentor, all I can do is try to help him achieve them.'

Said Dr Tan: 'Since it is the beginning of the year, I hope this event will be a catalyst to get people inspired to help for the rest of the year.'

How to donate

You can send cheque donations to The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund (write Cycle Of Hope on the back) to Research Communication International, 20 Upper Circular Road, #02-21, The Riverwalk, Singapore 058416.