details about

If Persistence was a Person
A heart-warming story and an
opportunity to support good work
“Imagine you are a child, born in a small
Malaysian village, to a poor family. You are one
of fourteen children... You want to become a
doctor.”
If Persistence was a Person is the inspirational story
of Professor Swee Tan and his desire to find an
inexpensive noninvasive cure for cancerous tumours.
Growing up in a poor family in rural Malaysia,
Swee Tan worked hard in the plantations dreaming
of a better future. Swee Tan’s tale is one of
transformation from a gifted boy in Malaysia to an
innovative surgeon changing the world of medicine.
If Persistence
was a Person
The Story of Profess
or Swee Tan
by Hana Olds
“The story of Professor Swee Tan, and his transition from growing up in a poor Malaysian
village to becoming one of New Zealand’s leading surgeons and medical researchers, is
remarkable. But also remarkable is that his story has motivated Hana Olds, a 12 year
old, to write a book about his life. And what a fine book it is, interlaced with the words
of Professor Tan, and details of his upbringing, his training and his professional career.
Hana has shown great maturity in her work interviewing her subject and writing his
compelling story. She writes well, and illustrates her narrative with fascinating details,
all of which hold the reader’s interest.
Swee Tan’s story has the capacity to inspire others the way he has inspired Hana.
I commend this book, and Hana for writing it.“
– Professor Sir Paul Callaghan
All profits from this book go to the research led by Prof Swee Tan
(at the Gillies McIndoe Research Institute).
Buy online at Paper Plus: www.paperplus.co.nz/books/ or buy direct from
Paper Plus Lower Hutt: 228 High St, Lower Hutt, ph: 04 569 8406