At around 1 a.m. everyday, Kuen Tang’s fiancé in China calls her to wake her up. He’s calling to make sure she turns in her bed.
It’s seems like an unusual thing to call about, but Tang’s fiancé Ren Dong Fang (Jack) is trying to keep his future wife alive.
Tang is a quadriplegic.
People with spinal cord injuries could develop a potentially dangerous breakdown of the skin known as pressure sores. If she doesn’t move around while trying to sleep, she could die from complications related to pressure sores.
But that’s the least of what’s on her mind.
The 39-year-old Edmonton woman is the mother to Fang’s baby boy who was born on June 5. Her future husband can’t be with her and their Canadian baby because Immigration Canada has denied him a temporary resident’s visa on several occasions.
READ MORE: Edmonton family of 7 to be split up and deported
Tang, who suffers from a number of complications related to her pregnancy and injury, is pleading for help.
Tang met her fiancé in September of 2015 after appearing on a popular show in China called Dream of China. It’s a reality show where people share their life story and are then granted one wish.
She told Chinese viewers that people with disabilities can do much more than they might think. Her wish was to have her motivational videos translated into Chinese to help inspire others.
The two have been in a relationship since October of 2015.
Watch below: An Edmonton woman with a spinal cord injury recently had her dream come true on a popular TV show in China. Su-Ling Goh filed this July 2015 report.
“We fell madly in love with each other,” Tang said. “We met with an instant spark. He was extremely thoughtful. He made China accessible to my wheelchair by carrying me up and down stairs and buses.”
Fang’s temporary resident visa application was denied because Immigration Canada was not satisfied that he would leave Canada at the end of his stay based on his travel history, the purpose of his visit, and his personal assets and financial status, according to Fang’s immigration rejection letter.
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Immigration Canada would not comment on the file due to confidentiality.
In a letter, Tang’s doctor, Dr. Raymond Lee; gynecologist, Dr. Ann Marie Long; and registered social worker, Jennifer Debenham all support Fang’s application to come to Canada.
Debenham wrote that she is unable to provide the 24/7 support that Tang needs. She went on to write that Tang does not have the family support to provide her with the care her fiancé could provide. Both her parents are in their 70s and can’t physically support her and the baby.
READ MORE: Immigration Canada reverses decision, grants residency for family denied over child’s disability
During her pregnancy, Tang developed an increased frequency in Autonomic Dysreflexia attacks, which is a sudden onset of excessively high blood pressure.
“The immigration officer’s decision lacks compassion,” said immigration lawyer Laura Best of Embarkation Law.
The decision, according to Best, appears to ignore the fact that Tang’s fiancé could become a permanent resident if she sponsors him. Immigration laws, Best says, are intended to facilitate family reunification, not prevent it.
“Nothing bars someone who intends to become a permanent resident from visiting in the meantime. By denying his visa, they are preventing him from being with and supporting his partner and new baby,” Best said.
In his visa application, Fang stated that he would need to go back to China even before a temporary visa expires. He has a company back home and cares for his elderly mother who is a widow. Once he settles his business and figures out care for his mother, they will apply for spousal sponsorship.
READ MORE: ‘This is not what someone in a wheelchair should do’: Edmonton woman wheels Great Wall of China
Tang is the first quadriplegic to work for DC Comics. She enjoys downhill skiing and skydiving. She’s also the first quadriplegic to wheel on the Great Wall of China.
On Aug. 31, 2001, Tang’s vehicle went off a cliff on the Coquihalla highway in B.C.
Watch below: About a year ago, Kuen Tang announced she’s planning to “wheel” the Great Wall of China. Tang is quadriplegic and aiming to inspire others with her journey. Su-Ling Goh had more on the big adventure in this August 2016 report.
After two years of dating, Fang proposed to Tang during a three-week road trip around China. They had plans to get married this August and then start a family. But upon her return to Canada, she found out she was pregnant.
Tang now has a healthy baby boy who she affectionately calls her “little thunder god.” She named him Alexander Thor.