Two Queensland Ambulance Service paramedics named Graeme Cooper and Danielle Kellan were called to transport a dying patient to a local hospital. On the way, the patient mentioned that she would love to see the beach one last time.
"It was basically going to be her last journey back to her house, where she was basically going to pass away," Graeme said. "She said she loved the esplanade and the beach, and we said, 'Well, do you want us to take you down by the esplanade and pop you out of the truck and give you a look at the ocean?'"
Instead of continuing on course to the hospital, they made a detour to Hervey Bay. It was there that they rolled her out to the rocks and Graeme stayed with her while she looked at the water.
Another paramedic snapped a photo of the pair, and employees at the Queensland Ambulance Service uploaded it to Facebook. People instantly fell in love with the kind gesture.
Keep scrolling to see how the paramedics made her a patient's final wish come true.
Graeme Cooper and Danielle Kellan were transporting a patient to a local Queensland, Australia, hospital when she made a request.
The woman had wished she could go to the beach one more time, and the two paramedics were determined to make it happen for her.
"This moment for her was closure for her journey," Graeme said. "At the end of the day, it just fulfilled her."
On November 22, 2017, the Queensland Ambulance Service posted a photo of Graeme fulfilling the patient's wish. People all over the world have fallen in love with the image.
Since uploading the photo, the post has received 69,000 reactions and over 4,000 comments.
Helen Donaldson snapped the photo. "I thought maybe it would exemplify the care and compassion that all of our paramedics show on a daily basis," she said.
This is the photo that has captured the hearts of thousands around the world.
“We popped her up on the hill where she could see the pier and Fraser Island and right through to Point Burrum and she was ecstatic with it all,” Graeme said.
The woman's last wish was to see the beach, and the paramedics knew they had to take a detour.
The paramedics even went further and scooped up some sea water for her to smell one last time.
It's no surprise that those in the medical field go above and beyond for others. This simple detour done by the paramedics gave the woman peace.
While recounting the moment, Graeme broke down crying because it meant so much to him to be able to do that for her.
They came to this hill and propped the patient up so she could take in the beach.
The paramedics put water from the bay into a vomit bag so that the patient could feel it one last time.
The Queensland Ambulance Service wrote a caption with the photo.
It read:
A crew were transporting a patient to the palliative care unit of the local Hospital and the patient expressed that 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 – tears were shed and the patient felt very happy.
Many of the thousands who commented shared similar stories. Darren, who also worked as a paramedic recounted the small wish he granted to a patient.
One commenter remembered a similar generous experience that stayed with them forever.
Another commenter felt proud to call Graeme her friend and applauded him.
Both paramedics were ecstatic to see so many people say such wonderful things. But neither did it for the recognition.
The paramedics' small act of kindness meant everything to their patient. "She said to Danielle, she's content now and that is everything as it should be," Graeme said.
Please SHARE this post on Facebook with family and friends who would appreciate the kind gesture.
