Paula’s wish was to travel from the Netherlands to Australia for treatment
From The Netherlands with love. An international Wish for Paula 5 months in the making.
In December of 2023, Ambulance Wish Queensland was contacted by our international counterpart, and the original Ambulance Wish, Stichting Ambulance Wens about a Wish they had received from Netherlands resident, Paula. Paula’s Wish was to fly to Australia for world class CFS/ME Treatment, a wish fulfilled by Stichting Ambulance Wens, but they needed transportation from Brisbane International Airport. A simple act that AWQ was happy to facilitate.
With welcoming smiles and open arms, our volunteers, Mark and Sue, eagerly awaited Paula at her gate. They had even made up a custom welcome sign! After a long trip from Netherlands to Singapore to Brisbane, Paula and her mother, Anna, were incredibly happy to be in Australia where they could begin treatment.
The ride from the airport was smooth and they arrived in Burleigh Waters without a second delay.
Being part of a program that stretches over international waters means that our organisation can come together with affiliates across the globe, to engage and expand the dialogue on elevating patient experience through wish granting.
Stichting Ambulance Wens was established in 2007 in the Netherlands as an addition to the care for immobile or terminally ill patients. Ambulance Wish Queensland and its international counterparts, stretching from Belgium to Japan, are following in the footsteps of Stichting Ambulance Wens. With 140 wishes fulfilled in Queensland, we can, with your help, continue fulfilling more wishes to people with a life limiting illness.
Thank you to our wonderful wish team Sue and Mark for fulfilling this wish and the collaboration of the planning team at Stichting Ambulance Wens.
Ambulance Wish Queensland is the signature program of Palliative Care Queensland and is proudly supported by the Queensland Government, and we thank the staff and volunteers at both Queensland Health and Queensland Ambulance Service who help our team to fulfil wishes and create memories.
We would also like to thank our SEQ Hub Local Supporting partner GQS and Mingary Care for their sponsorship of Ambulance Wish Queensland’s South-East Queensland hub.
