Chan showing a photo of him and Chai during their younger days.
KUCHING: Love knows no boundaries, and senior citizens Peggy Chai and Chan Teck Kong are living proof that love will find you no matter how old you are.
76-year-old Chai, who is suffering from terminal cancer, finally had her wish fulfilled after marrying her long-term boyfriend Chan in a hospital ceremony on Friday (Jan 11).
“We decided to get married because this was her wish,” Chan told The Borneo Post when met at Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) here today.
He relayed that his wife had approached a visiting priest at her ward informing him of her desire to be married.
“I was out at the time buying some food and when I came back, the priest pulled me aside and told me of her wish. So we agreed and decided to get married.
“The kind-hearted doctors and nurses were very happy to help us organise the wedding ceremony and we had our family, friends and even church friends who came to the ceremony,” he reminisced.
The 80-year-old Chan said he has known his wife for the past 33 years.
“I was her ballroom dance teacher and she joined my dance academy after deciding to pick up dancing, which she loves.
“She ended up being my dance partner due to her talent and we danced together for more than ten years performing at many events here.”
In 2015, he decided to hang up his dancing shoes after Chai discovered that she has stage four ovarian cancer.
“I decided to stop teaching and devote my time to take care of her since then,” said Chan, who has been staying at SGH for the past two-and-a-half months since Chai was admitted.
“She prefers to stay here now because she said the doctors and nurses are very attentive and take care of her very well.”
He expressed his utmost gratitude and appreciation to SGH for the care the hospital staff has given to his wife as well as for allowing them to get married at the hospital.
Though the wedding ceremony was a private affair, the happy occasion came to light after photographs and videos of the wedding became viral after they were uploaded to social media.
“I was unaware that my wedding had gone viral on social media until my former students rang me up to congratulate me,” he expressed.
Nevertheless, Chan said he feels very touched by the outpouring of support from the hospital staff as well as from friends.
“Right now, I will continue to devote my time to care for my wife in sickness and in health. I love her very much and will take care of her for the rest of my life.”