“More Understanding, More Compassion. With the vows of marriage, I promised to take care of her for a lifetime.”

It sounds easy to say, but fulfilling it would require tremendous effort. Mr. Chui has been taking care of Mrs. Chui for over 25 years. Mrs. Chui was diagnosed with a heart condition in her thirties and required a valve replacement surgery. Throughout the process, Mr. Chui took meticulous care of his wife. As time passed, her health gradually improved, and life returned to normal. She even started going swimming at South China Athletic Association every day. However, when Mrs. Chui turned 52, she had a stroke while swimming. The situation was severe. When Mr. Chui rushed to the hospital, he couldn’t find his wife, he panicked. Later, he discovered that she had left the hospital on her own. It was a forever daunting moment for Mr. Chui, as he wandered the streets searching for his wife.

Fortunately, Mr. Chui eventually found Mrs. Chui at a nearby bank. It turned out that she was terrified of being hospitalized and desperately wanted to go home. Despite having had a stroke and being unable to speak clearly, she could still move, so she left the hospital without anyone knowing, causing great concern. After this incident, with much encouragement from Mr. Chui, Mrs. Chui agreed to receive rehabilitation treatment at Tung Wah Eastern Hospital, and he would accompany her. During the process, he discovered her response to singing, so he used music to encourage her to express herself. Gradually, her language abilities improved to about 70 percent of normal.

At the same time, Mr. Chui faced increasing caregiving pressure as Mrs. Chui’s emotional stability declined. After the stroke, she became irritable, stubborn, and would easily get angry over trivial matters, requiring psychiatric treatment. Mr. Chui was by her side every follow-up visit. However, her condition fluctuated, sometimes even causing disturbances to the neighbors. There were occasions when she refused to take medication and threw it away. What made it worse was that Mrs. Chui experienced a second stroke, further affecting her mobility, increasing the burden of daily care. While other family members would take care of Mrs. Chui when Mr. Chui was at work, balancing work and caregiving responsibilities put immense pressure on him, leaving him feeling helpless and unsure of how to cope.

But there is always light at the end of the tunnel. After attending courses and workshops organized by CRN, Mrs. Chui’s mobility significantly improved. She even joined our choir composed of stroke survivors, to continue her expressive practices and gradually stabilize her emotions.

Mr. Chui said he could persevere because of three key factors. Firstly, he emphasized the importance of managing his own emotions. No matter how busy he was, he always made time for exercise to regulate his emotional state. Secondly, whenever he felt overwhelmed, he would think of his children and grandchildren, which became his driving force. Lastly, he said, “It may sound cliché, but marrying her was a blessing from above. We promised to stay together for a lifetime, in sickness and in health. She fell ill, but she didn’t want to. She knows that everything I do is out of love for her.” It is his overflowing love that has carried him and Mrs. Chui to this day.