A migrant woman asked her cancer-stricken boyfriend to marry her in the ward of a Guangzhou hospital on Valentine's Day, Guangzhou media reported yesterday.

 

Liu Yanwu, 30, also bought roses and facial masks for her Valentine.

 

"He told me several times that he wished he had better skin," Liu said.

 

Bu Jianping, a 30-year-old PLA soldier, was happy and talkative despite the intravenous drips in his neck following an operation a few days earlier that removed 80 percent of his stomach, the South Metropolis Daily said yesterday.

 

He also had a bouquet of red roses ordered for his devoted girlfriend.

 

"I will choose a day in the first half of this year for marriage when I get my health back," he said.

 

However, Bu is unaware of the virulence of his stomach cancer and that he is likely to die within two years. His girlfriend and relatives have kept the seriousness of his disease from him.

 

"It's just a small stomach cancer," he said. "I will get well soon. The doctor said my operation was quite successful."

 

Liu cried in the corridor of the General Army Hospital, saying she could not afford to lose her boyfriend.

 

"I pretend to be optimistic and happy when I'm with him to keep him in good mood," she said. She admitted she was hoping for a "miracle recovery" but knew it was nearly impossible.

 

Liu works for a medical appliance marketing company in Guangzhou and Bu is a soldier in nearby Sanshui. They both come from Hunan Province and met two years ago.

 

"When I traveled to a place for business, he checked the weather and traffic for me every time and marked the city I was traveling on his map," Liu said.

 

She said she regretted not marrying him earlier and could never meet another who loves her so. The woman also said she wanted to get married as soon as possible and have his child.

 

However, Bu's father expressed his worries toward the marriage. "How could my son get married in such poor health," he said, also casting doubt on the motives of Liu who had revealed her sad love story to several Guangzhou newspapers ahead of Valentine's Day.

 

(Shenzhen Daily/Agencies February 16, 2006)