A Dutch organization called the Ambulance Wish Foundation is helping fulfill the last wishes of terminally ill and mobility-compromised patients. Powered by a staff of 200 medically trained volunteers, they bring patients to places they wish to visit or revisit before they die and would otherwise be unable to do so if not for the specially equipped ambulances of the Foundation. What’s more, their service is free of charge.
Their website and Facebook page feature stories of patients visiting hometowns, football (soccer) teams, and family members but it is Mario’s story that has gained them recent international attention:
Mario volunteered for over 25 years at the Rotterdam Zoo. He now suffers from terminal brain cancer and is mostly paralyzed. On March 19th, Ambulance Wish Foundation reunited him with the animals under his care for one last visit. Many recognized their longtime caregiver and one Giraffe even gave him a “kiss”.
(image credit: Ambulance Wish Foundation)
Read more stories at their Facebook page or website (original Dutch links) via Neatorama