Paramedics take dying woman for last look at Three Sisters in Blue Mountains

Two paramedics in NSW have granted one palliative care patient an extra special trip, taking her to the Blue Mountains for one last look.

Two paramedics in NSW have granted one palliative care patient an extra special trip, taking her to the Three Sisters in the Blue Mountains for one last look.

Penrith woman Evelyne Collins suffers from dementia and was diagnosed with leukaemia in October – and as part of her treatment, had to be taken to Katoomba’s Blue Mountains Hospital for blood transfusions.

While under the care of paramedics Judy Andrews and Mike Horan, the 85-year-old was treated to a heartwarming surprise.

“We were asked to take her to Blue Mountains as it was quieter and even though she had dementia as soon as we walked outside she said the fresh air was beautiful,” Ms Andrews told the Western Weekender.

“As she was not at risk and just receiving treatment and we had a quiet moment, we decided to take her to the lookout to show her the view on the way.”

Two paramedics in NSW have granted one palliative care patient an extra special trip, taking her to the Three Sisters in the Blue Mountains for one last look. Picture: Ambulance NSW

She added that she never could’ve predicted the impact the moment had on Ms Collins and her family.

“We wheeled her down and as she was looking around she had this moment of clarity and said she remembered coming there a long time ago with her husband,” Ms Andrews said of the experience.

“She had this beautiful glow and look of happiness on her face so I took a photo to send to her daughter Kim, who said the family was overwhelmed that we would take the time to do that.”

Ms Collins said it was “lovely” that the paramedics thought to take her there.

“It made me feel special. It makes all the difference when you are treated with patience and kindness,” she said.

After two years on the pandemic frontline, Ms Andrews said paramedics pride themselves on providing high levels of care to each patient.

The iconic landmark brought back a memory for Ms Collins. Photo: iStock

“When a family member is in care you always worry if people are caring for them properly and treating them with respect,” she said.

“There is a lot of hustle and bustle in this job but patients to us are not just numbers and under our care we wanted to make it a bit special and spread some positivity and Evelyne loved it.”

Sharing the photo of Ms Collins to Facebook, NSW Ambulance were flooded with comments on the “beautiful gesture”.

“Thank you for being so generous … the world is a better place having you both in it,” one woman commented.

While another wrote: “It’s these special moments that make the job mean something. In all the usual nightmares that we all face, it’s these times that have the biggest effect on us. These times and these memories where you become a part of someone’s journey – whether it’s the beginning or the end, it’s these moments that stick with us forever.”

“So much respect for our first responders. This is the most beautiful act of kindness,” added another.