In the end, it’s the little things that make life great. These are the things we appreciate most.
It’s not how much money we made or the fancy cars we drove.
It’s all the laughs we had with family friends, looking out over a beautiful lake, or watching birds eat from your bird feeder.
The one thing that terminal man Ron McCartney, 72, wanted before he left this world was a caramel ice cream sundae.
And the medics who took him on his final ambulance ride were happy to oblige.
After all, showing someone kindness and a shred of humanity often doesn’t take much.
But it is a choice one has to make. And Ron’s family was infinitely grateful to the Queensland Ambulance Service.
The story starts when Sharon had to make one of the most difficult phone calls of their life.
She had to call for an ambulance for her husband. It would be her husband’s final ride to the hospital for palliative care
At this point, Ron hadn’t eaten anything for about two days. But the medics weren’t going to take him off to the hospital on an empty stomach.
They decided they would get the dying man whatever he wanted to eat.
Not only did the experience touch Ron’s family but it also left an impact on the medics. They ended up posting about it on Facebook where it was shared more than 2,000 times.
Here’s what their Facebook post reads:
“If you could eat anything, what would it be? We have been left humbled and tinged with sadness after receiving a message of gratitude that underlines an often-unseen aspect of patient care; the caring. Last week, Gold Coast resident Sharon called an ambulance for her husband Ron’s final journey to hospital and palliative care.”
“Paramedics Kate and Hanna responded and during their initial observations of Ron, Sharon mentioned that he had barely eaten anything over two days. The officers asked Ron if you could eat anything… what would it be? To which Ron replied, a caramel sundae.”
“Sharon’s recent message emphasized the enjoyment Ron received from such a simple action and thanked paramedics for the swift and high level of care and compassion shown to him on both this occasion and their previous interactions over the last few months as well.”
Ron’s daughter also reached out to the Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) to show her appreciation.
She left them a nice comment on their Facebook page.
Her comment received more than 200 replies.
According to BBC, Ron passed away after a 17-year fight with pancreatic cancer. Check out the QAS’ original post below.
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If you could eat anything, what would it be?We have been left humbled and tinged with sadness after receiving a…
Posted by Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) onMonday, September 3, 2018
