Carol’s Birthday Wish Was to Raise Funds for Ambulance Wish Queensland
We love it when our community of care support programs like Ambulance Wish Queensland and are delighted that former Palliative Care Queensland board member Carol Hope chose to turn a major milestone birthday celebration into a fundraiser for Palliative Care Queensland.
“I love celebrating my birthday; who doesn’t? But I often wondered if rather than make my day about me, I could turn my day into a day to do some good for others, so I decided to ask my family, friends and loved ones to hold off on presents this year and to support one of my favourite causes; Ambulance Wish Queensland.”
Carol’s association with Palliative Care Queensland and seeing their work on social media reinforced the program’s role in providing people in the last weeks of life with an experience that makes memories forever for them and their families whilst receiving the best possible care.
“Ambulance Wish Queensland is invaluable and important. The program is an initiative that truly makes a meaningful difference in the lives of people who have often endured months of treatment and medical interventions and are at the pointy end of their illness. We often talk about palliative care enabling people to live their best lives until the end of their lives, and Ambulance Wish Queensland is a shining example of how we can do that.”
In addition, Carol’s enduring compassion for others made supporting the program a clear choice, “Compassion sits at the heart of the Ambulance Wish Queensland program, and that is very important to me. Recognising another person’s suffering and doing something to relieve that suffering is one of the kindest things you can do for another human being.”
As a registered nurse, the clinical component of the AWQld program also aligns with Carol’s values, “Having ambulance transport and a clinical escort to make sure the wish recipient is comfortable, safe and able to have the best experience possible is wonderful.
“Finally, the legacy the program creates resonates with me too. Whilst the experience for the wish recipient is paramount, the opportunity for them to make memories for their families contributes to their well-being and those they will ultimately leave behind. What an amazing gift that is.”
While Carol’s Wish this year is for everyone to donate to her cause via https://www.givenow.com.au/cr/carol-hope, we also asked Carol what her Ambulance Wish would be, “One of the most memorable parts of the Wish Program is how important ‘family’ aspects of the wishes are. I think it would be the same for me, and for my Ambulance Wish, I’d love to have a family picnic, perhaps near the beach with a photographer to capture the magical moments from the day. The photos would provide the memories to sustain me through what lies ahead and would be an enduring gift for my family.”
Happy Birthday, Carol! Thank you for your kind generosity from everyone at Ambulance Wish Queensland.
If you have been inspired by Carol, you can learn more about fundraising and supporting Ambulance Wish Queensland by downloading our Fundraising Guide here: Fundraise | Ambulance Wish Queensland (ambulancewishqld.org.au)
