A chance encounter with a stranger always carries the possibility of turning an ordinary day into an extraordinary one. That’s exactly what happened this week to 19-year-old Twitter user Brendan (he goes by the handle Minionman), whose serendipitous encounter on a train has touched thousands of Singaporeans.
He initially thought the stranger, who struck up a conversation by complimenting his shirt, was “kinda off,” but something compelled him to stay and talk, and the two began chatting about work and life.
This dude walked up to me and complimented me on my shirt. seemed kinda off so I was set to say thanks for the compliment and move off, he was acting kinda funny and looked at me weird. Something told me to stay and listen tho and thank god I did. pic.twitter.com/s647Klxucp
— minionman (@SP1DERBOI) June 18, 2019
Turns out, the stranger he spoke to was 49-year-old Takalah Tan, a survivor of a traumatic motorcycle accident that caused him to lose all his memory and half of his brain, following an incredibly rare surgery in which a cerebral hemisphere is removed.
Takalah (a nickname meaning “can’t lose” in Malay) was on top of the world back in 1994. According to a feature by the Red Cross, the man born Tan Kok Liang was a commando, lightweight boxing champion, cross-country runner, and swimmer. He had also graduated from the National University of Singapore and beat 7,000 applicants to land a job in a prestigious multinational company.
But just a week before he was set to start work, Tan was involved in a horrific motorcycle accident. He collided with a car on the expressway and was flung 70 meters through the air.
Hitting the ground without a helmet, he lost all his brain fluid and nearly bled to death. In addition to the traumatic brain injury, his left shoulder was dislocated, three of the ribs on his right side were fractured, and his right shin was completely fractured and shortened by 1.5 inches.
While he understandably hit rock bottom, he didn’t stay there.
According to the Red Cross, Tan counted himself fortunate as he was surrounded by friends and relatives who never gave up on him.
With sheer determination, he not only relearned how to talk, he eventually went back to school and was able to get a job as a teacher.
Dude says he woke up knowing nothing and had to relearn everything he previously knew, even trivial things like speech
— minionman (@SP1DERBOI) June 18, 2019
6 years after he walked out the doors of the hospital and Takalah has a teaching degree. Cut to present day and you can hardly tell he was the victim of such a horrific accident, not just cause he is a walking medical miracle, but because he harbours 0 hate for God or the world
— minionman (@SP1DERBOI) June 18, 2019
“This man started our conversation by telling me he only had half his brain left. To lose half your brain to a stupid accident and still have the heart and resolve of two men. Talakah Tan is humanity at its finest,“ said Brendan, reflecting on the stranger’s amazing life story.
For all he’s been through, Tan isn’t just an inspiration; he also gives back to the community. According to Today, he still donates blood every three months out of gratitude for the transfusions that saved his life.
Speaking to Coconuts Singapore, Brendan added that: “When I met him (Tan), he was on the way to deliver provisions to a young girl, another sufferer of brain injury. He really is the gift to the world that keeps on giving.”
His tweet has since garnered over 84,711 retweets and 190,741 likes, with many applauding Tan for his relentless spirit.
I think what really makes people die is “no will to live”.. Will is power, he indeed so powerful to survive such traumatic incident.. salute!!
— hs (@hakimi_ms) June 19, 2019
Everything about this… Is inspirational. Thank you for sharing. Instead mourning what we dont have.. Bless we the thing we have. Again. Thank you. 🙏🏻
— amadmirul (@Fr0st12) June 19, 2019
