[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/of-triumph-and-solidarity-the-72km-wheelchair-trek-for-charity\/#NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/of-triumph-and-solidarity-the-72km-wheelchair-trek-for-charity\/","headline":"Of triumph and solidarity: The 72km wheelchair trek for charity","name":"Of triumph and solidarity: The 72km wheelchair trek for charity","description":"Fathima Zohra, 24, was beyond excited to be a part of the 72km C2C Trail Wheelchair Trek Across Singapore For Charity. She recalls the first training with the team; it was a balmy day, though soon enough, the sun was out in full force. \u201cWhen we started training, I was doing really well,\u201d she recounts. […]","datePublished":"2021-08-26","dateModified":"2022-04-15","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/author\/Ming%20En%20Liew\/#Person","name":"Ming En Liew","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/author\/Ming%20En%20Liew\/","identifier":132,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8fe7a89455a989038349633329a6e4ad6299388f5e1e3ea83c28126090b2314f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8fe7a89455a989038349633329a6e4ad6299388f5e1e3ea83c28126090b2314f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"TheHomeGround Asia","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo_2021-07-22-222533.jpeg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo_2021-07-22-222533.jpeg","width":640,"height":640}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/1280X626-68-1.jpg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/1280X626-68-1.jpg","height":626,"width":1280},"url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/of-triumph-and-solidarity-the-72km-wheelchair-trek-for-charity\/","commentCount":"4","comment":[{"@type":"Comment","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/of-triumph-and-solidarity-the-72km-wheelchair-trek-for-charity\/#Comment1","dateCreated":"2026-05-02 10:05:57","description":"Just what I was looking for.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"tv live world","url":"https:\/\/museum.deltazeta.org\/FacebookAuth?returnurl=https:\/\/www.oneotv.com\/"}},{"@type":"Comment","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/of-triumph-and-solidarity-the-72km-wheelchair-trek-for-charity\/#Comment2","dateCreated":"2026-04-28 10:23:57","description":"I can\u2019t wait to share this with others.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"lady puma","url":"https:\/\/globalshoepalace.com\/product-category\/women\/puma-women-shoes"}},{"@type":"Comment","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/of-triumph-and-solidarity-the-72km-wheelchair-trek-for-charity\/#Comment3","dateCreated":"2026-04-14 23:32:58","description":"Thank you for your sharing. I am worried that I lack creative ideas. It is your article that makes me full of hope. Thank you. But, I have a question, can you help me? https:\/\/accounts.binance.info\/ru\/register-person?ref=O9XES6KU","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"\u0421\u043e\u0437\u0434\u0430\u0442\u044c \u0431\u0435\u0441\u043f\u043b\u0430\u0442\u043d\u0443\u044e \u0443\u0447\u0435\u0442\u043d\u0443\u044e \u0437\u0430\u043f\u0438\u0441\u044c","url":"https:\/\/accounts.binance.info\/ru\/register-person?ref=O9XES6KU"}},{"@type":"Comment","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/of-triumph-and-solidarity-the-72km-wheelchair-trek-for-charity\/#Comment4","dateCreated":"2026-04-09 00:26:28","description":"I don't think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"anm\"ala dig till binance","url":"https:\/\/accounts.binance.com\/register-person?ref=IHJUI7TF"}}],"about":["Community","Local","Singapore"],"wordCount":2567,"articleBody":"Fathima Zohra, 24, was beyond excited to be a part of the 72km C2C Trail Wheelchair Trek Across Singapore For Charity. She recalls the first training with the team; it was a balmy day, though soon enough, the sun was out in full force.\u201cWhen we started training, I was doing really well,\u201d she recounts. But things soon took a turn for the worse.\u00a0\u201cBecause the weather was too hot, I got an AD attack [autonomic dysreflexia],\u201d she shares.\u00a0 Autonomic dysreflexia is a medical condition that can occur in individuals with a spinal cord injury. It is a life-threatening condition that can lead to a stroke, seizure or cardiac arrest.\u00a0\u201cIt was terrible. I could not complete my training because the attack was so bad that I had to immediately get in [an air-conditioned environment] to cool off, so I don\u2019t pass out,\u201d she said.This is just one of the challenges that Ms Fathima has to overcome in order to take part in the expedition. Ms Fathima had been at the peak of her youth when she met with a devastating car accident that severed her spinal cord at C6 and C7. At just 20 years old, she became a quadraplegic.\u00a0It was a challenging time, to say the least: \u201cIn the beginning, I didn\u2019t have the will to live. I wanted to give up\u2026 What\u2019s the point of living when I\u2019ve lost my body, and no one\u2019s looking at me the same way. No one\u2019s treating me the same way. I was thinking, if this is how people are going to treat me, I don\u2019t want to have to live the rest of my life like this. I was super suicidal.\u201d\u00a0Eventually, Ms Fathima realised that if she wanted to survive her injury, she needed to get help for her mental health. She went to see a professional, and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and clinical depression.\u00a0Since then, Ms Fathima has started to see a difference in her physical recovery as she became more motivated to get better.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s important to not just spread awareness about disabilities, but also mental health,\u201d she stresses. \u201c[They] always work together and people need to be more open to accepting that.\u201d\u00a0\u201cMental health is so important for me to talk about, because so many of us are struggling and not willing to get help. In that process, we lose ourselves, or think we can never be anything. If I had given up mentally after my injury, I would not be where I am today. \u201dFour years on, she says, \u201cIt\u2019s been one hell of a journey.\u201d\u00a0A car accident when she was 20 left Fathima Zora paralysed from the neck down, but that does not stop her from leading a full life. In this expedition, she looks forward to wheeling herself as far as she can. (Photo courtesy of Beyond Expeditions)\u201cWith my injury, it\u2019s very complicated. Everyone assumes it\u2019s just not being able to walk. But for me, it\u2019s not being able to regulate temperature, and any tiny inconvenience could cause a drop in blood pressure,\u201d she explains. Besides difficulties in regulating body temperature, Ms Fathima also suffers from reduced breathing capacity and chronic nerve pain, where her body feels like \u201cthere\u2019s pins and needles 24\/7, and it feels like she is lit up on fire\u201d.\u00a0Still, Ms Fathima is determined to press on and looks forward to \u201cwheeling [herself] as far as [she] can\u201d in the upcoming trek, in the hopes of raising awareness for persons with disability, and contributing to the charity that had helped her in her own rehabilitation journey: SPD, a non-profit supporting individuals with physical, sensory, and developmental disabilities.\u00a0Such is the goal of the 72km C2C Trail Wheelchair Trek Across Singapore, organised by the founder of travel adventure company Beyond Expeditions, Scott Tay. The idea for this trek was first sown when Mr Tay reconnected with a friend, Mansor Ali, and heard his story.\u00a0The story of Mansor AliMr Mansor is one of 100,000 individuals struck with a rare disease called idiopathic intracranial hypertension. The condition, which has no known cause or cure, left him in the hospital for three and a half months, in a brief state of coma, and without sight for the rest of his life.\u201cThe doctors told me when I was admitted to the hospital\u2026 that their priority was to save my life, and my vision was a secondary priority. I was devastated,\u201d he says.\u00a0Only 25 at the time of diagnosis, Mr Mansor had no good options: \u201cI didn\u2019t want to die, I\u2019m so young. At the same time, I didn\u2019t want to lose my vision.\u201dWhile doctors managed to save his life, the same cannot be said for his sight. Upon being discharged, Mr Mansor was still in a weakened state. It took him a couple of months to fully process that he had become blind.\u00a0Since losing his vision at 25, Mansor Ali now relies on a white cane to get around. For this wheelchair trek, he will be accompanied by a sighted guide. (Photo courtesy of Beyond Expeditions)Then came depression.\u201cFor a very long time, I was severely depressed and suicidal. I didn\u2019t want to leave my room or my bed. I\u2019d be on my bed twenty-four seven, and only go out to eat or use the washroom,\u201d he shares. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t want to talk to people or meet my friends. I just wanted to be alone.\u201d\u00a0\u201cMy mind was thinking of ways to end my life, I didn\u2019t want to be on this Earth anymore\u2026 I thought I was doomed and it was the end of it,\u201d he adds.\u00a0This went on for more than a year, until Mr Mansor chanced upon the story of Christine Ha, a blind home cook whose story inspired America. In spite of her blindness, she would go on to win the third season of Masterchef in America, as its first blind contestant.\u201cThat story really inspired me\u2026 it gave me the assurance that even if I\u2019m blind, I can still do wonderful things,\u201d he says. This marked the turning point in his journey.\u00a0Today, Mr Mansor has adapted well to life without sight. Through the aid of devices like computers and smartphones, he is able to lead a relatively normal life, and even return to working in the creative and marketing field, which he had been in prior to losing his vision.Mr Mansor\u2019s resilience became a source of inspiration for Mr Tay: \u201cI was amazed by his tone and energy. It\u2019s incredible for someone to lose their vision at the age of 25 and still be able to smile and joke around.\u201dHaving organised multiple charity-adventure hybrid events overseas in the past, Mr Tay was already on the lookout for a cause to support during travel restrictions due to the pandemic. Reconnecting with Mr Mansor gave him the inspiration he needed.\u00a0Inception of the 72km Wheelchair Trek Across Singapore for Charity\u201cWhen we [organise] a fundraising expedition or campaign, the story has to be strong and compelling,\u201d says Mr Tay. \u201cIf it\u2019s easy and simple, nobody wants to continue to read more about it.\u201d\u00a0The 72km C2C Trail Wheelchair Trek Across Singapore is Scott Tay\u2019s most recent initiative in helming adventure expeditions for charity. (Photo courtesy of Beyond Expeditions)Previously, Mr Tay had led groups to Mongolia to much success. In 2018, his first group expedition trekking the Gobi Desert in Mongolia raised S$72,000 for charity. 2019 saw similar success, where he helmed an expedition to brave the frigid winter of Mongolia, and raised almost S$40,000 trekking in negative 40 degree Celsius weather. But with outbound travel off the cards due to the pandemic, Mr Tay had to find a compelling story and cause within the borders of Singapore.\u00a0\u201cWhen I met Mansor, I learned more about disabilities and inclusivity. I thought, how can we switch things up,\u201d Mr Tay says. \u201c[So,] why not do a wheelchair trek? And not just coast-to-coast, but coast-to-coast, and back, so that makes it 72 kilometres.\u201d\u00a0He hopes that the sheer scale of the expedition will pique people\u2019s interest and encourage them to find out more about the campaign. \u201cThey read the story, get inspired\u2026 and want to support the cause by donating money for those who really need it,\u201d he says.\u00a0Mr Tay admits that the 72km journey the group is embarking on cannot match up to the experiences of persons living with disabilities. Rather, his hopes are that this campaign will shine the spotlight on people like Mr Mansor and Ms Fathima.\u00a0\u201c[I want to bring together] people who want to share their story, who are advocates, and who want to help others out there with [disabilities], to let them know that we are always on this journey together, [that they are] not alone,\u201d he says.\u00a0For the 72km Coast-to-Coast Trail Wheelchair Trek, Mr Tay has brought together eight individuals from different walks of life. From mental health advocates and cancer warriors to accident survivors, each of these individuals bring to the table their own stories of struggle, of overcoming obstacles and triumph \u2013 all to raise awareness for persons with disabilities, and promote a more inclusive society.\u00a0The creation of a more inclusive societyBy taking part in this expedition, 27-year-old Mr Mansor hopes to create a more inclusive environment in Singapore.\u00a0He says: \u201cSingapore still has miles to go in terms of inclusiveness as compared to the United States, Australia, and the UK. I hope the people of Singapore will be less stereotypical of the capabilities of persons with disabilities.\u201dHe cites the example of those who are visually handicapped: \u201cThere are a lot of things that blind people can do, we just cannot see. A lot of [us] can still use a computer and a phone.\u201dMr Mansor emphasises that individuals living with disabilities are still able to do many things, albeit with certain assistive devices. (Photo courtesy of Beyond Expeditions)\u201cHowever, people in Singapore are still very averse to the idea of hiring persons with disabilities just because they have disabilities. They have second thoughts about how the individual is going to execute [their] work,\u201d he rues.\u00a0\u201cI won\u2019t say that persons with disabilities are all fantastic… We are still human beings. But with the right guidance and coaching, I\u2019m sure we can excel in whatever we do.\u201d\u00a0For Ms Fathima, taking part in the expedition was a given: \u201cSPD has done a lot for me, so I really wanted to give back\u2026 because they are genuinely helping so many people with disabilities.\u201dShe adds: \u201cLiving with a disability now for four years, I understand how expensive it is to survive this. Therapy sessions, wheelchairs, and customisations are so expensive\u2026 Raising money for a place like SPD will do so much good for these people.\u201dBesides giving back to a good cause, taking part in this expedition also has a hidden perk for Ms Fathima \u2013 it allows her to satisfy her inner fitness junkie, a part of her she thought was lost after her accident: \u201cFitness and being active\u2026 was something that defined who I was as a person. When I had the injury, for the first year and a half or more, I was stuck in one place, not being able to move or do anything. This injury took away something that literally defined me.\u201d\u00a0\u201cI was able-bodied for 20 years, and suddenly, I had to be on a wheelchair. It was so confusing for me. I had to relearn how to live,\u201d she adds.\u00a0Four years later, she still struggles at times: \u201cEven now, I\u2019m still grieving the loss of my body\u2026 August [the month of her accident] is a very sensitive month. All the memories [come back], it\u2019s like it is happening all over again.\u201d\u00a0In spite of the difficult month, she has managed to find joy and purpose while preparing for this expedition.\u00a0She says: \u201cI\u2019ve come a long way. I have suffered a lot, but training and being able to help other people with disabilities was what I was made for. I found my real purpose\u2026 Even though this month is so traumatic, the fact that I\u2019m able to do something good made me feel good.\u201dLessons learned in preparation for the trailMs Fathima is also heartened by the team, who have willingly come together for this cause: \u201cIt\u2019s encouraging and motivating to see [that] so many people want to be an ally and want to understand what I go through on a daily basis. It’s a win for the disabled community, because society is willing to understand what we’re going through.\u201d\u201cIt makes me want to do more. If society is willing to do this for us, I should be doing more for my community\u2026 I hope society is encouraged and inspired by this, and want to make a difference in their own life.\u201dShe urges the public to hold space for the disabled community, and \u201cnot leave [them] behind when wanting to give back\u201d.\u00a0\u201cI don’t want people to donate because of pity, but to understand that it’s difficult to survive a disability, and encourage us more,\u201d she emphasises. \u201cI hope that by doing [this expedition], they understand that disabled people are putting themselves out there to spread awareness and are willing to live life just like able-bodied people, so start treating us the same way.\u201dShe adds, \u201cAnd I hope the disability community itself is encouraged by the fact that we’re doing this \u2013 it’s sending out a great message to society that able bodied people are willing to understand what we go through.\u201dMr Mansor concurs: \u201cWhen people come across the articles [about this event online], spare a moment to think that persons with disabilities can lead meaningful lives.\u201d\u00a0\u201cI hope that people will be more inclusive in the future, because change starts with you. Just one person.\u201d\u00a0Mr Tay looks forward to organising more charity expeditions like the wheelchair trek, in hope of reaching out to more individuals in the special needs population, and letting them know that they are not alone. (Photo courtesy of Beyond Expeditions)As for Mr Tay, this expedition is just another step in his mission to spread the message of solidarity: \u201cI’m looking forward to organising more and more of these expeditions, and getting more people in the special needs field to open up.\u201dHe continues: \u201cIt’s okay to be vulnerable. The most important thing is to embrace insecurities and vulnerability. Just be yourself, because there are always people out there willing to journey with you. You’re not alone\u2026 Doing an expedition like this has a special meaning. It’s not about who’s going the furthest or the fastest, it’s [about] doing it together.\u201d\u00a0\u201cI want to spread the message of oneness,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s so important for us to see others beyond material looks and appearances, and have the perspective that we are one.\u201dIf the public wishes to support the campaign and SPD, they can donate or share about the campaign here.Join the conversations on TheHomeGround Asia’s Facebook and Instagram, and get the latest updates via Telegram."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Destinations","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Singapore","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/\/singapore\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Of triumph and solidarity: The 72km wheelchair trek for charity","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/of-triumph-and-solidarity-the-72km-wheelchair-trek-for-charity\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]