Generation Grit: Paralysed at 21, his will to live was unwavering

A fun camp turned Wong Zi Heng's life upside down. But rather than give in to despair, the 26-year-old forged a new path for himself, he tells The Straits Times, in this series about inspiring millennials.

Wong Zi Heng, 26, suffered a spinal cord injury during his university orientation camp and was paralysed from chest down. A year after the accident, he went back to school. He is now pursuing a postgraduate diploma in education.
Mr Wong Zi Heng, 26, became paralysed from chest down when he was just 21-years-old after an accident.
Mr Wong Zi Heng, 26, became paralysed from chest down when he was just 21-years-old after an accident.ST PHOTO: LAU FOOK KONG
Senior Social Affairs Correspondent
  • Updated
    May 23, 2018, 1:38 pm
  • Published
    Feb 27, 2018, 6:00 pm SGT
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SINGAPORE - "After I dived into the sea, I was unable to move. Although I had not hit anything, I had the odd sensation of not feeling my body.

This was at Palawan Beach in Sentosa. I had finished my first year at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and was helping out at the Science faculty orientation camp before the start of the following academic year.

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