When Mr Tan Kai Soon, 25, receives his engineering degree from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) later this month, it will be the sweet end to a journey more arduous than most.

The second of two boys, Mr Tan lost his father to stomach cancer when he was barely two. With her two sons in tow, his mother moved into the two-room Queenstown flat occupied by MrTan's grandmother and five uncles and aunts.

Mr Tan's mother scraped a living together by doing odd jobs and later helping out with her brother's recycling business.

The lack of money was partly why Mr Tan did not seek medical help when his leg muscles started to weaken in school. It was a sign of muscular dystrophy - a genetic muscle-wasting illness - but he was not to know until about 10 years later.

What it meant was that as a pupil at Queenstown Primary, he found it hard to stand up or walk.

It was not the only setback he faced in school.

He said he was 'playful' and ended up in the EM3 stream for academically weak pupils.

But he sees the bright side: 'I managed to clear all my subjects at the PSLE (Primary School Leaving Examination). It's amazing for a student who didn't want to study.'

Though not wonderful, his results were enough to land him in the Normal (Technical) stream at Queenstown Secondary.

In the meantime, his condition did not improve.

He had to drag himself up to the third floor for some classes by hanging on to the stair railings, and sometimes got a helping hand from classmates.

'Of course, I fell and hurt my knees occasionally,' he said matter of factly.

Weak legs or not, he joined the National Police Cadet Corps, and marched in drills until he could not go on any more in Secondary 3.

He might not have been able to march but he sure could remember the commands. During a written test on Malay drill commands, he scored the highest marks and rose to become a sergeant.

It was around this time that a turnaround happened. Mr Tan sobered up to the importance of school, and began to study. As a result, he made eighth place in class and got decent N-level grades.

But it was at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), which he went on to, that Mr Tan aced his studies.

He said: 'My knowledge was increasing very quickly. My friends were amazed how I was able to remember the subjects well and score well in exams.'

A dark cloud remained. His muscular dystrophy had still gone undiagnosed. A traditional Chinese medicine practitioner said it was just back pain.

It was only when enlistment for national service loomed, that Mr Tan decided to see a doctor at the National University Hospital.

He was diagnosed with Becker's muscular dystrophy, caused by the lack of dystrophin, a protein which helps keep muscle cells intact. His doctor said the condition would worsen progressively, but at a slow rate.

The diagnosis meant he would not have to do national service. At this time, he did not need a wheelchair but had to walk on tip-toe as his left leg was weaker than his right .

In late 2000, he went for an operation to lengthen his left calf but it made his condition worse. He could no longer walk and had to resort to a wheelchair. Then, when it seemed that things could not get worse, his mother was hit by a lung infection in 2002. She took a year to get well.

It was the darkest period of his life, but friends helped pull him out of his depression. His uncle and aunt also encouraged him.

'I thought it was the end of the world, but it was the beginning of another life.'

He earned a place at Singapore Polytechnic to study for an engineering diploma. There he ignored the occasional hostile stare, made good friends and won nine distinctions.

He did not stop there and went on to NTU for a degree.

At first, he could barely cope and failed two subjects. He decided to take fewer subjects each term and passed the two subjects the second time round.

Last year, he clinched a Be With Me scholarship, named after Eric Khoo's movie and given to help needy people with disabilities continue their studies. The scholarship was started in 2005.

Said Mr Raymond Chow, from the Asian Women's Welfare Association (AWWA) which administers the scholarship: 'He has shown a lot of determination. It's already rare for a EM3 pupil to go to university. Considering he's physically handicapped, it's amazing.'

Now Mr Tan is about to graduate with an engineering degree and is looking for a job in the IT sector.

His mother, Madam Lau Soo Ngoh, 61, is just glad that his days of hardship are behind him.

She said: 'Now that he has graduated, I'm very happy.'

E-mail: hoaili@sph.com.sg

To donate to the Be With Me scholarship or find out more, call 6511-5214 or go to www.awwa.org.sg