Hong Kong actor, Anthony Wong Chau Sang’s (黃秋生), mother passed away in the hospital yesterday at the age of 84. His mother raised him by herself when his father, Frederick William Perry, left the family and Hong Kong when Anthony Wong was four years old. It was reported his mother had considered aborting him, but ultimately decided to give birth to him. Anthony Wong had also shared a story of when he was only few months old and his mother had treated laundry detergent power as milk powder and fed it to him. He was foaming, which led his mother to take him to the hospital. Anthony Wong says, “She wasn’t happy at the time. She wanted to end both our lives.”
After that incident, Anthony Wong’s mother decided never to give up. She continued to be a strong woman to raise her son as a single mother. He also recounts how he moved a lot as a child. His mother was a maid at one point. She would have to get up every morning at 3AM and only get off work at 12AM. After working for a week, her legs were already swollen. It was only after Anthony Wong’s grandmother told her to quit in fear of her losing her life, that she decided to quit the job.
“They were shooing us away like beggars.”
He also mentioned the time where his mother’s employer didn’t allow them to enter through the front door. They had to wait in the back for someone to open the door. They waited for two hours and finally the door was only slightly opened. He says, “They threw our luggage at us. We didn’t even dare to take the wages. They were shooing us away like beggars. My mother was crying sadly. I had to be strong and tell her not to cry.”
At one point, Anthony Wong’s mother had a clotted blood vessel and required surgery. So when he was 11 or 12, he had to be put up somewhere else. Every night, he would cry in the dorm and pray to God. He said, “I would rather take away 20 years of my life to give my mom.” The surgery was successful. However, Anthony Wong did say he would always lose his temper on his mother, making her very angry.
“She is just waiting for the time to come.”
While Anthony Wong has always been grateful for his mother going through all the hardships, it wasn’t until 2016 when she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, that he regretted not spending more time talking to her. A few days ago, he revealed his mother was in the hospital and said the situation wasn’t looking optimistic. He said, “She is just waiting for the time to come.” Unfortunately, Anthony Wong couldn’t see his mother for the last time as once he left the hospital, they had called him to come back immediately. However, there was traffic and he only made it 10 minutes after she passed. He reveals, “She still had some expression. I said some things to her ear, but I won’t reveal what was said.”
When asked if his mother had any last wishes, Anthony Wong reveals, “When she was still alive, she couldn’t speak anymore and could only see with one eye. I was fortunate to have spent two hours with her this afternoon, it’s already enough.”