Ah Bun: Never give up

Tang Siu-pun, 37, a quadriplegic, wanted to end his life and urged the government to look into euthanasia three years ago.

He even wrote a book on the subject. But after it was published this summer, he changed his mind about ending his life and rediscovered hope.

The aspiring sports teacher, known as Ah Bun, was left paralysed from the neck down after a gymnastics accident during rehearsals for a graduation ceremony. Since the accident in 1991, he has been confined to a hospital bed and had lost hope in life. He wrote an open letter to the government in 2003, asking that euthanasia be legalised, which raised widespread public concern and debate on the issue.

He then spent two years writing his memoir, which was published as a book - I Want Euthanasia - this summer. It chronicles his life as a young sportsman, the somersault accident that put him in a hospital bed for 13 years and his letter to former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa.

More than 10,000 copies of his 300-page book have been sold. After its success he realised that, 'If you try, you can make it'.

He has emerged from his dark corner of despair with a renewed sense of hope. He is no longer confined to bed and uses a wheelchair.

On October 27, he visited the Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd) where he shared his inspiration with students. 'I still have a useful brain, which should not be affected by my paralysed body,' Ah Bun said.