School of courage: Battled cancer at 13, repeated Part 2 and now helps others through boxing

Mr Kumar, who dreamed of joining the police force, thought he could pass O levels for a degree in sports and exercise science from Republic Polytechnic, a diploma that requires cut-offs in the mid-20s.

But the truth came out when he scored in the 40s in the preliminary exams. He began studying at home from 7 a.m. every day for the next few months, was able to halve his total and attend the course.

After graduating from polyclinic in 2014, he looked forward to registering for national service (NS) but was devastated to learn that he was exempt due to cancer.

Feeling lost after her boyfriends got into NS, she tried jobs as a sports events coordinator and personal trainer, but nothing came of it. His mother’s mentor friend guided Mr. Kumar to launch his small-scale fitness business, King of Strength, that year; He was teaching boxing to about five students at a neighborhood amphitheater in Yishun, charging $100 for five lessons.

A few months later, he upgraded to a 600-square-foot space in an industrial building on the same property; this cost him about $1,500 to $2,000 a month in rent, but it also meant he could attract more female customers because there was a toilet to replace. inside.

To finance and maintain his business, he took on a side job as a gym instructor but left the business in late 2015, confident in King of Strength’s potential to achieve financial stability and sustain itself.

Two years later, when he had 35 regulars, he found his current location next to a row of shops after the Urban Redevelopment Authority told him to vacate the industrial building. At the time, the rent was nearly double, but with that came the potential to grow the customer base.

Today, King of Strength has about 90 to 100 members, ranging from six-year-olds to their late 50s. Rates start at $159 per month for children under 12 and $249 per month for adults. Besides Mr Kumar, the gym has six staff members, including two coaches.

His 31-year-old wife helps him in the operations and they have a one-year-old daughter.

Unlike some boxing gyms that focus on winning matches and producing champions, Mr Kumar’s mission is clear: “The main purpose of this place is to be a safe space for everyone. “They shouldn’t feel left out or think they can’t box.”

Mr. Kumar, whose love of the Rocky Balboa boxing movies is evident in the many posters lining his gym walls, says some of his clients have seen remarkable transformations as they learn discipline, gain strength and discover hidden reserves of mental strength.

For example, a young boy initially refused to talk to anyone, but now chats with his coach for about 20 minutes. A man with lymphoma took classes, relapsed, and rejoined. Another man’s wife called to thank her husband after he hit the gym and stopped drinking.

To celebrate its 10th anniversary this year, King of Strength is offering a free one-year membership to cancer survivors. Four people have taken advantage of the offer so far, but Mr Kumar hopes to reach more people.

“One day I want to be the coach who can talk to another Kumar,” he says, referring to his first boxing coach who changed his perspective on life after cancer.

Mr Kumar is also the ambassador for the 2024 edition of Run For Hope, an annual event spearheaded by Four Seasons Hotel Singapore and organized in collaboration with the National Cancer Centre, Singapore, to support groundbreaking cancer research initiatives in Singapore. It will be held on November 17.

Looking back, he realizes that if he hadn’t repeated Secondary 2, he might not have found his passion. And if it wasn’t for the cancer, he wouldn’t have realized that he already had so much.

“This episode taught me that you have to be extremely grateful for what you have. I just wanted to go back to school, eat good food, play with my brother, and be with my family.

“So this tattoo tells me, if I were to ask myself, ‘Why me? ‘Why can’t I have this?’, always being grateful because you never know how much you have right now.

• Online registration for Run For Hope will end on October 28, but you can register in person at the Shaw House, 350 Orchard Road, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on race packet collection days on November 2 and 3. Those who want to support or contribute to the runners can click on the “support” tab on the site, www.runforhopesg.com