PETALING JAYA: SEA Games gold medallist Jackie Wong Siew Cheer would never have thought that spending over two months in hospital was the best thing to ever happen to him.
This is because the hospital is where Wong met his future wife, Dr Joanne Tiong, who was one of the doctors treating him at Sibu Hospital for Covid-19 three years ago.
Wong, who represented Malaysia at the SEA Games and won the gold medal at the Hanoi Games in 2022, was hospitalised for 72 days after testing positive for Covid-19 in March 2020.
Sin Chew Daily reported that Wong, 32, tied the knot with Dr Tiong on May 5 in Sarikei.
According to the Chinese daily, Wong's family members became ill one after another, and Dr Tiong became the main person whom family members would pass on items to those who were warded.
After he was discharged, Wong said he was grateful for the care Dr Tiong had shown him at the hospital and texted her to express his gratitude.
They started contacting each other regularly and eventually fell in love.
The athlete said was attracted to her kindness and caring attitude, adding that she was also tall and beautiful.
He said after three years of dating, he read a verse from the Bible which said, "two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labour. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up."
He said the verse made him start thinking about marriage.
Wong said finding a partner who was supportive and understanding was not easy, so he decided to propose to her.
Dr Tiong said that she initially did not know Wong was a national athlete.
"When he was diagnosed with Covid-19 and sent to Sibu Hospital, everyone was nervous because of the severity of the pandemic. My first impression of him was that he was tall and handsome," she said, adding that they began dating at the end of 2020.
Dr Tiong said that during their three-year relationship, she learnt that Wong was reliable and responsible.
Wong's father, ex-Sarikei MP, Wong Ling Biu, was also hospitalised at the same hospital in 2020.
