Taiwanese man marries brain-dead girlfriend right before she gets taken off life support

After a tumultuous 11-year-courtship, one man in Taiwan finally married his girlfriend. 

The sad twist is that they tied the knot on the same day her family decided to pull the plug.

The woman, known only as Wang, 32, was riding a motorcycle in Taipei's Beitou district on Aug 22 when she was struck by a car that had been making an illegal turn, reported Taiwanese media.

Wang, a single mother of two sons aged 12 and 13, was declared brain-dead on Aug 25.

Her family then made the call to take her off life support and donate 12 of her organs, including her heart, liver, corneas, skin and blood vessels.

Explaining the family's decision, Wang's mother told reporters last Thursday (Sept 5), "Since my daughter couldn't survive, we decided to donate her organs. This is an opportunity to save more people. It's a way for her to remain on Earth and watch her kids grow up."

Before the organ donation surgery, Wang's boyfriend, identified as Lin, held a makeshift wedding ceremony with her family in attendance.

The couple were dressed in matching red T-shirts and Wang's heavily bandaged head was adorned with a white veil.

"We can finally get married. Please hurry up and wake up. Do you like the ring that I chose?" Lin said as he slipped the wedding band onto Wang's finger, moving her family to tears.

The couple's 11-year relationship had not always been smooth sailing. 

Wang's mother told chinatimes.com that Lin's parents had disapproved of the relationship as Wang was a single mother.

Over the years, Lin's parents eventually changed their mind about the couple. In fact, Wang and Lin were going to wed this year with their approval before the tragic accident cut their plans short.

Wang's heartbreaking story triggered an outpouring of support from the public and other organisations.

Goodwill Charity Association announced that they had covered the costs of Wang's funeral and donated NT$100,000 (S$4,425) to her family to defray the costs of raising her sons.

The boys' schools, Guandu Elementary School and Xinpu Junior High School, have also set up fundraising accounts for them and will subsidise the cost of their education through bursaries.

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kimberlylim@asiaone.com