Hong Kong-based Malaysian model Lisa Ch’ng took to Instagram to pay tribute to her mother, Datin Kong Yuk Chu, thanking her for holding on long enough to attend her wedding.
Ch’ng married TVB actor Mat Yeung on Aug 2 in Kuala Lumpur.
In the wedding photos shared by the couple, Kong can be seen in a wheelchair determined to be there despite declining health.
“Mummy, you have done so well. Thank you for being so strong and trying so hard to make sure you were well enough to attend my wedding with Ah Yeung. Thank you so much for giving me such an irreplaceable gift.”
Ch’ng’s sister, Jacquelin Ch’ng, announced their mother’s death on social media on Aug 25, saying Kong had passed away peacefully surrounded by family and friends.
In her tribute on Aug 27, Lisa Ch’ng wrote that she missed her mother and hoped she had reunited with her late father and could now “happily go everywhere and have fun”.
She also thanked her parents for raising their four children and providing them with a comfortable childhood.
For Ch’ng, her mother had always been her “safe haven”, protecting her through life’s ups and downs.
But now that she has grown up and has Yeung by her side, she told her mother she could finally stop worrying about her.
“I’m all grown up now, and I have Ah Yeung as my safe haven, so you don’t have to worry about me anymore. Go and enjoy yourself without any worries!” she wrote.
Ch’ng also recalled that her mother loved having fun and being surrounded by people.
Their family home, she said, was often filled with parties when she was growing up, with the family singing and enjoying themselves together.
“When we were young, you taught us how to sing. When we grew up, it was our turn to accompany you to karaoke and go out and have fun. Every time we went out together, you would laugh so happily,” she wrote.
She said her mother’s laughter was among the memories she would always treasure.
Although Ch’ng still has many things she wants to tell her mother, she said she would save the rest of her words for when they meet in her dreams.
“Mummy, it’s a promise – see you in heaven. Mummy, I love you!”
Kong’s memorial service will be held from Aug 30 to Sept 1 at Nirvana Centre in Kuala Lumpur.
