“She has been the greatest support of my life. We treat each other with respect, support one another, and it is a true blessing that we could share a happy life together,” said 97-year-old Lin Feng-hsiang (林逢香), who recently celebrated a platinum wedding anniversary with his 92-year-old wife after 70 years of marriage.
Sitting in a wheelchair pushed by a caregiver, Lin’s wife, Cheng Chiung-mien (鄭瓊綿), takes a stroll with her husband, who is walking with a cane, through a neighborhood park — a daily routine for the happily married couple since the day they exchanged their wedding vows.
A descendant of a noble family in Pingtung County’s Linbian Township (林邊), Lin operated a clinic for more than six decades in his birthplace as a way to contribute to the community after obtaining a medical degree in Japan.
Photo: Ye Yong-chien, Taipei Times
Lin did not retire from practicing medicine until the age of 85, a lifelong dedication that earned him the nation’s Medical Devotion Award in 1999.
Also born into a prosperous family in the same township, Cheng, who obtained a degree in economics in Japan, was introduced to Lin by relatives before the couple eventually decided to tie the knot.
In their younger years, the couple often went golfing together, Lin said.
Even now, the gray-haired couple insist on doing everything together, despite having difficulty walking.
In addition to taking a daily walk, they also dine together and go to see doctor together, Lin said, adding that they still get along well and rarely quarrel.
“It is not easy for two people to grow old together, but he [Lin] has always been a loving and caring husband,” Cheng said.
Linbian Township’s Yungle Village (永樂) Warden Tsai Yu-hsin (蔡玉心) said that the couple’s long-lasting relationship not only served as the best evidence that happiness does exist in every moment of everyday life, but also served as a good example for the public on Lovers’ Day, which was celebrated yesterday.
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