7 inspiring stories of perseverance and resurrection, from cancer fighters to an astronaut

It has been a tough year in Hong Kong. The typhoon season was hectic, including September’s Super Typhoon Ragasa that brought the city to a standstill, while last month’s deadly Tai Po fires brought the city to its knees. But amid the sombre news, some stories emerged to inspire us. We revisit seven of them. 1. Weight loss bartender Look up the highest-rated bars in Seoul, and you will find many of them clustered in Cheongdam, an affluent neighbourhood near Apgujeong and Gangnam in the South Korean capital. Venues such as Zest, Alice and Le Chamber – all ranked highly in the annual Asia’s 50 Best Bars list – are peppered along Dosan-daero street, making easy work for barflies eager to tick each one off their bucket list in one boozy evening. Hidden among them is the lesser-known – at least for now – Kiez, a discreet underground cocktail den opened in January 2025 by 33-year-old Dongyeol Shin, an up-and-coming talent on the drinking scene. Read the full story here 2. Brave young cancer fighter Sophie Chan’s bedroom is typical for a nine-year-old. The shelves are lined with books, games and soft toys, while a diffuser pumps out a lemon scent, her favourite fragrance. Her hobbies include drawing, playing the trumpet, singing and posting videos on her YouTube channel. She also loves hanging out with friends at school, where her favourite subjects are English, art and music. She is fearless, a trait that has helped her during her cancer battle. Read the full story here 3. Reborn after a vicious attack In May 2021, Daniella Means was walking her dog in Los Angeles when a man holding a hammer approached and demanded her bag and phone. When Means refused, he dealt a blow to her head. She went down hard, blood gushing from her face. “I thought I had gone blind. I thought I had brain damage,” she recalls. The incident left her shattered, physically – her eye socket and nose were broken – and mentally. Read the full story here 4. From overdose to yoga instructor Picture this: you wake up in a hospital, weak from having your stomach pumped, and find you cannot move your arm because you have been handcuffed to the bed. That is exactly what happened a decade ago to James Gannaban, then a professional in Hong Kong’s food and beverage industry, after a drug overdose. Today, Gannaban is a certified yoga instructor who calls himself a “sober yoga uncle” and has an Instagram account where he posts himself performing challenging yoga poses. Read the full story here 5. No limits for disability advocate Isaac Harvey’s passion for adrenaline-fuelled adventure started in 2015 when the Briton completed his first skydive. But his biggest challenge was not jumping out of a plane at 14,000ft (4,267 metres). It was the events leading up to it. Airfields across Britain told Harvey that skydiving was not possible because of his disability: he was born with limb/pelvis hypoplasia/aplasia (LPHA) syndrome. This rare genetic condition resulted in his being born with no arms, short legs, a weak pelvis and scoliosis – curvature of the spine. “Skydiving harnesses didn’t exist that could meet my needs, and after months of rejection, I almost gave up,” Harvey says. But quitting is not in his nature. Read the full story here 6. Reaching new heights In March 2009, American Scott Parazynski – a veteran of five Nasa space shuttle missions, including seven spacewalks, who had racked up more than 23 million miles (37 million km) – hung up his spacesuit. “I could have flown once, maybe twice more, but I was keen to stretch my wings as an inventor and entrepreneur,” says the 63-year-old. A couple of months after retiring from the US space agency, Parazynski attempted to summit Mount Everest but, at 7,470 metres (24,500 feet), was forced to turn around because of a back injury. He summited on a later attempt. Read the full story here 7. Novice weightlifter wins competition For Han-mi Walsh-Riddle, a victory in a Hong Kong kettlebell competition in November 2024 was the culmination of her blood, sweat and tears. Walsh-Riddle had entered the competition after having only taken up the sport six months prior. The challenge was a gruelling 10-minute snatch test – swinging a 12kg (26.5lb) kettlebell from under her body up into an overhead position with one arm, repeatedly, in the allotted time. After completing 115 reps, she won. Read the full story here

7 inspiring stories of perseverance and resurrection, from cancer fighters to an astronaut

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Here are 7 stories from the past year with inspiring messages about courage, not giving up and people who turned their lives around

1. Weight loss bartender

Here are 7 stories from the past year with inspiring messages about courage, not giving up and people who turned their lives around