Australian paramedic duo who fulfilled dying woman's wish to see ocean one last time is invited by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for luncheon
Two paramedics in Australia, who were able to grant the wish of a seriously ill woman to go and see the beach one last time before she died, have been invited to join Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for lunch when they go to the island country for their tour. A heartwarming image of the woman, who was in palliative care at the time, looking out over the sea for the last time made national news when it was posted on social media; also catching the attention of the Royal couple.
Graeme Cooper and Danielle Kellam - workers for the Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) decided to make the last-minute stop to the ocean in November last year after their sick patient started telling them about how much she loved the water. Helen Donaldson, the Officer in charge of Hervey Bay, wrote in the caption along with the image: "She just wished she could be at the beach again. Above and beyond, the crew took a small diversion to the awesome beach at Hervey Bay to give the patient this opportunity."
Cooper told 7 News that the patient "loved" the gesture and the experience of seeing the sea one final time. He said: "She was really happy, she was so grateful, just one of those people you wanted to give and give to."
The paramedics are scheduled to join Meghan and Harry for a lunch that includes honorary guests on Fraser Island after the Duke and Duchess land in the country next week. The 15-day tour will have the couple traveling to Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and Tonga beginning on October 16.
Remembering a similar heartwarming gesture, earlier this past week, a mother in the Sunshine Coast revealed that she was left in tears when she saw a kind nurse wheeling out an elderly patient in the area so that she could get in some sunlight. Courtney Noble was recuperating from a burst appendix in the Sunshine Coast Hospital last week when she saw a young nurse taking some time off work to sit and talk to an elderly patient who was bed-ridden.
She told 7 News: "This nurse, she would have been no older than 25, walked in and pushed her bed down the end of the corridor. She just parked it there, pulled up a chair sat down and held her hand. It just blew me away, I just stood there in awe for a minute taking it all in."