HIS Sunday, Randall Tan will go all out to conquer his first full marathon in the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon. But only 1 1/2 years ago, he had difficulty even holding a pen.
The actor-host-model was diagnosed in June last year with the Guillain Barre syndrome, which affected his peripheral nervous system, and fought for his life in intensive care.
Decked out in pink shades and adidas gear, the 35-year-old was now at ease as he spoke about the disorder. Till today, he does not know how he got the illness. He had just returned from a Genting trip with his father, when he started feeling weak and had double vision.
At his lowest point, any liquid he drank would come out of his nose as his body became increasingly paralysed. Communication was virtually impossible, as family and friends could not understand his slurred speech.
He recalled: "The worst was being conscious the whole time but not being able to do anything about it.
"I was scared. Thoughts of dying ran through my mind. I didn't know what was going to happen even if I survived. I thought my whole career would go down the drain."
The road to recovery was "tedious". He had to relearn the simplest tasks - like how to stand and sit without holding a chair - and meals had to be fed by his mother.
But the self-confessed sports fanatic didn-t give in to depression - he was restless to get back on his feet.
While doctors, family and fellow artiste Melody Chen, 30, cheered him on, they had to keep him grounded for fear he would injure himself.
He threw himself into daily strengthening exercises. Barely five months after he was struck by the disorder, he was back on his feet in an exhilarating first jog since the illness. "It was only 2km, but I was like 'yes!'," he recalled with a fist-pump.
By December last year, he was back to full health, save for a little softness in the knees. Coming within a whisker of death has been life-changing.
He said: "Before, I did as many jobs as I could. But now, I'm happy with what I have, and I don't sweat over the small stuff anymore."
He also found a life partner in Melody, who nursed him to health. They tied the knot in April. Though they had been best friends for over a decade and even shared onscreen kisses, it took the illness to "smack me on the head and wake me up", he said, grinning.
He added: "I realised, what am I looking for when the person is right beside me? When I was sick, she was there for me every day."
Randall is determined to complete the full 42km and raise $1,000 for charity. But he won't be pushing himself too far beyond his limits - he just wants to finish the race.
Said a visibly-relaxed Randall: "I don't tempt fate so much anymore. I'm just very thankful for the fact that I'm alive today."
