Battling the odds to earn degree

SOON after starting a twinning programme between Sunway College and Victoria University (VU) last year, Bryan Tan received the news that he had been diagnosed with bone cancer.

“Three months after starting the Bachelor of Business degree where I am majoring in Marketing and International Trade, I was in constant pain.

“I was shocked when the doctor told me I had a 6 cmtumour in my left leg.

“After surgery to remove it, I was out of classes for between five to six weeks to rest,” he said.

Tan shared that it was one of his lecturers, Moy Tow Yoon, who helped him initially when he struggled to cope with his illness and studies. She also prayed with him constantly.

Miraculously, he survived through the second stage of the cancer without undergoing chemotherapy.

Tan attributed this to his strong faith in God, taking Chinese herbs conscientiously and following a strict diet consisting of steamed fish with no red or white meat.

This did not stop him from not only completing his degree but earning 15 High Distinctions for his studies in 2010 and 2011.

“I am very thankful to the lecturers in VU at Sunway College as without them I would not be able to pull through,” shared Tan who is the eldest in the family from Sungai Petani, Kedah.

“It is a miracle that I survived bone cancer and I am still praying for my health, taking the herbs and following the strict diet,” he added.

Tan plans to pursue postgraduate studies and hopes to become an academic someday.