When Eric Cheung Tat-ming's wife lay dying he and their children faced the tragedy head-on, even arranging a farewell party for her at the hospital where she was being treated for the terminal stages of breast cancer.
'She wanted to meet her friends and relatives, but her health did not allow her to meet them one by one. After discussions, we decided to arrange a birthday-cum-farewell party,' said Professor Cheung, an assistant law professor at the University of Hong Kong.
At the party, Portia Cheung told the 300 guests that she was happy to see them and had no regrets about her life. She died in hospital three days later at the age of 46.
Professor Cheung said his wife had discussed her final wishes, such as her funeral arrangements and what to do with her ashes, with him so that he knew what to do after she died. He also helped their two children, aged 10 and 12, face the fact that they were going to lose their mother.
'We let them know that their mum's health was getting worse and she might die. I encouraged them to grab the chance and speak about their feelings at the farewell party.
'When she died, it was inevitable that my children and I felt sad because we missed her. But we were not very frustrated. In fact, we even felt a bit relieved because she had suffered from cancer so much for years.'