SINGAPORE – Walking 3km may not seem like a mean feat for many, but try doing it on your hands.
A group of fighting-fit do-gooders will do just that on Thursday to raise funds for two recipients – 17-month-old toddler Shamel Pilapitiya, who suffers from spinal muscular atrophy, and the family of motorcycle accident victim Yasmin Abdullah, who had got married just three weeks before her death on Feb 20.
Shamel’s rare neuromuscular condition will affect his motor and respiratory functions if left untreated. His parents are trying to raise the $3 million needed for a one-time gene therapy treatment.
Ms Yasmin’s husband, who was seriously injured in the fatal accident, knows Ms Roshoshanna Tang, who is organising the fund-raiser. Both cases were reported in The Straits Times.
This is the group’s second fund-raising effort. In November, the five members walked for 1km on their hands to raise funds for Club Rainbow, a charity that helps children with chronic and life-threatening illnesses.
This time, they aim to triple the distance covered in the hope of raising more money. The sum raised will be split equally between the two recipients.
Apart from Ms Tang, a 19-year-old home-schooled student, the team comprises estate planner Leonard Chiang, 30, business owner and gymnastics coach Niven Raj, 26, parkour instructor Koh Chen Pin, 30, and financial consultant Kayden Hong, 35.
Their strategy is to walk for 10m to 20m, and then take a 30-to-60-second break, depending on how fast they recover, before resuming. They aim to complete 1.5km before stopping for a 30-to-45-minute lunch break.
Some of them will wear gloves to ease the abrasion on their palms, but others prefer to go bare-handed to have a better grip and feel of the ground.
As to how long the entire walk will take, Ms Tang said: “I’m guessing, six to seven hours? I might be wrong, but we’ll find out on the day itself. I’m quite curious, too.”
The 3km walk:
Around the 100Plus Promenade at the National Stadium on Thursday, from 8.30am
To donate:
https://gogetfunding.com/upsidedown2/
