'I'd exchange my life for hers,' says Shin Lung, husband of critically ill Taiwan 'dancing queen' Serena Liu

SINGAPORE - Shin Lung, the husband of Taiwan 'ballroom dancing queen' Serena Liu, has spoken up publicly for the first time following days of reports that his wife is fighting for her life in hospital.

"Serena needs the help of everyone to get her past this immense challenge in her life. I, Shin Lung, am willing to give up my life in exchange for hers because our daughter is only four. She can do without a father but she cannot be without her mother," singer Shin, 48, wrote on Facebook on Thursday night (Feb 27).

This comes about a week after Taiwanese news outlets first reported that Liu, 44, had fallen into a coma after undergoing heart valve repair surgery at Taipei Veterans General Hospital in early February.

Her heart reportedly stopped beating during the surgery and she had to be put on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or Ecmo, following that.

Though Shin did not give details of his wife's condition, he wrote: "When I play voice recordings of our daughter saying: 'Mummy get well soon and bring me to school!' in her ear, Serena sheds tears. I worry that she'll be sad so I sing to her beside her ears, comfort her and encourage her. We won't cry, we'll work hard."

He added that Liu has yet to recover her strength and asked the public to pray for her and to give his family space during this "critical moment".

He added: "People seem to think I have a strong exterior but no one knows how small I am inside - I love Serena and I'm afraid of losing her. Everyday I hope that the person who walks through the door and comes home is Serena."

Liu - who gained fame first as a dancer on Taiwan's variety programmes before going on to act in dramas, films and host television programmes - is reportedly waiting for a heart transplant.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.