Ambulance angels making final wishes a reality

In a heartwarming development for the South West region, Ambulance Wish Western Australia officially launched its Busselton base on Thursday, December 12, at Busselton Hospice Care’s Geographe Bay Centre.

This dedicated volunteer service makes possible what many thought impossible – helping terminally ill patients experience treasured moments, from revisiting favourite places to sharing precious time with family and friends.

Behind this remarkable service stands a profoundly personal story of two passionate healthcare professionals who transformed their heartbreak into hope.

Gary Wilson, a St John paramedic and his wife Susie, a clinical ED nurse and paramedic, founded Ambulance Wish WA after witnessing the struggles of their dear friend Richard, whose battle with a brain tumour revealed a crucial gap in healthcare services.

“The tumour affected his balance and perception,” Susie explained.

“He loved playing rugby with his boys, but moving towards the end became impossible as he was half-blind and very wobbly on his feet.

“You couldn’t go anywhere with him because it wasn’t safe.”

The Wilsons watched as Richard gradually became isolated from the world around him.

“People often retreat when someone is sick,” Susie said.

“They don’t realise that human contact and connection are really important. He became a bit of a hermit and lost touch with so many things that brought him joy and happiness.”

This experience highlighted the need for help.

While medical transport was readily available for treatments, nothing existed to support patients’ psychological and social well-being.

“If you wanted to go to the hospital for treatment, there’d be a service,” Gary explained.

“But for psyche and mental wellbeing, as a holistic thing, there was just nothing.”

Their quest for solutions took them to the Netherlands, where they found the Stichting Ambulance Wens Foundation, founded by Kees Veldboer.

While on duty, Kees, an ambulance driver, had a heartfelt conversation with a patient who desperately wanted to tick off some final wishes during a delay in their hospital transfer.

Kees decided to dedicate his life to fulfilling ‘final wishes’.

From his dining room table, he built an organisation that now boasts 315 volunteers and eight ambulances and has fulfilled over 22,300 wishes.

Inspired by Kees’s vision, the Wilsons attended the inaugural Ambulance Wish International Convention in the Netherlands in 2019 and found their calling.

“Kees was the most altruistic human in history,” Susie remembered fondly.

“He gave everything he had to anyone who wanted to learn.”

Following Kees’s passing in 2021, they named their first vehicle in his honour – the same ambulance now serving the south west community.

The journey to establish Ambulance Wish WA wasn’t without challenges.

After starting in 2019, COVID-19 forced them to pause operations until WA reopened.

Their formal launch finally took place on October 28, 2021 – Kees’s birthday.

Support from the community proved immediate and touching. BP Kwinana donated their first ambulance, Hydi, followed by St John’s donation of ‘Kees’.

A third ambulance, Tinesh, joined the fleet in memory of Gary and Susie’s friend and colleague – who lost his life on duty, allowing Kees to be stationed permanently in Busselton.

The wishes they’ve fulfilled paint a picture of simple yet meaningful moments.

“When you get to the pointy end of an illness or disease, most people don’t want this big grand thing,” Susie shared.

“It’s going home, seeing familiar places, or experiencing something special to them one last time.”

“We had a lovely lady from up north who just wanted to see the Karri trees and a local Busselton mother who had never taken her 14-year-old son to the zoo-so off we went!

“And there was this fantastic fellow who only wanted to get out in the field amongst his cows once again.”

One memorable journey for the dedicated pair involved a detour for a specific tasty pastry on the way to reuniting a patient with her family.

“We had a beautiful lady who wanted to return home to Bunbury- where her brother passed away, and her daughter now lived.

“Bunbury Hospital had a bed, so there was no issue going down there. The problem was that zero transport was available for her. She wanted to pay for it herself but couldn’t afford it.

“So we picked her up and took her. On the way, she insisted we stop off for sausage rolls because she loved them from this particular shop. So, we had to detour to get that sausie roll no matter what!”

The impact extends beyond the wishes themselves.

“We’ve seen anecdotal reports about the settled nature of individuals when they return from wishes,” Susie said.

“They often require less intervention and pain medication afterwards. It’s like people get to let go of the tension they’ve been holding and just be present in the moment.”

This joy of fulfilling wishes helps families to heal as well.

“The family often holds very misplaced guilt over what they have or haven’t been able to do,” Gary said.

“Knowing they were present for something just for their loved one, something that made them happy in a time often fraught with angst and sadness – it’s everything.”

“No matter how often you think to yourself, it’s going to be really upsetting and believe me, some wishes are pretty tear-jerky, as you’re going out to celebrate birthdays knowing the person won’t be there for the next one.

“But taking them there and having that moment wins hands down.”

The presence of an ambulance in Busselton creates a much-needed change in their ability to serve the region.

“Until now, we’ve had to drive down from Perth for every wish,” Gary explained.

“Having a vehicle and volunteers in the area means we can fulfil wishes more efficiently.”

For the Wilsons and their volunteers, each wish brings unexpected joy.

“It gives you the warm fuzzies,” Susie said.

“People think, oh, it’s dying, it’s going to be sad and upsetting.

“But you get a very privileged position by looking through a beautiful window into someone else’s life. You get to see what’s really important and what difference it makes.”

Ambulance Wish WA is seeking community support to continue its vital work in the south west.

Their “Better Beds” fundraiser aims to replace manual stretchers with electric ones, improving patient comfort and volunteer safety. They’re also looking for a local mechanic to service their ambulance.

For information about requesting a wish, volunteering, or supporting the Better Beds fundraiser, visit ambulancewishwa.org.au.

Donations from the South West region will directly support the local branch’s equipment needs.