'Tears were shed': Ill woman's wish to visit beach granted by Australian ambulance crew
The moment was captured on camera and shared on Facebook.
— -- A seriously ill Australian woman's wish to see the ocean came true when the ambulance transporting her to the hospital took a detour to allow her to look out on the water at least one more time.
The moment was captured in a photograph and shared on Facebook by the Queensland Ambulance Service. The picture shows a paramedic standing next to a stretcher parked under a tree, facing the ocean.
"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," reads the post's caption. "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."
"Sometimes it is not the drugs/training/skills — sometimes all you need is empathy to make a difference!" it concludes, noting that the story was relayed by Helen Donaldson, the officer in charge of the ambulance service in the city of Hervey Bay, on Australia's east coast.
As of Thursday afternoon, the Facebook post had been shared over 15,000 times and generated over 3,500 comments.