Why this heartwarming Aussie photo has touched Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan
It was the incredibly moving photo that not only went viral around the world, but caught the attention of Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan.
In November last year, the Queensland Ambulance service posted a picture on its Facebook page of Hervey Bay paramedic Graeme Cooper standing alongside the stretcher bed of a terminally ill woman, known only as Joyce, at a beach looking out to sea. It was taken by patient transport officer Danielle Kellam. Sadly, Joyce passed away two days later.
The palliative care patient had asked the paramedics if they could stop at the Hervey Bay beach, as they transported her from her home to hospital, and they granted her wish – with the moving photo touching hearts all over Australia and the world.
Kensington Palace invited paramedics Cooper and Kellam to meet the Prince and Duchess when they toured Fraser Island yesterday, as the royals were also so touched by the image.
The seeds for Joyce’s beach visit were sewn a week before the photograph was taken when the paramedics were en route with taking Joyce home from hospital to be with her family in the final days of her life, reports news.com.au.
Joyce told the paramedics how much she loved the ocean, particularly the beaches of Hervey Bay, located on the Fraser Coast Region of Queensland, because of the romantic times she had spent there with her husband. They loved to stroll the beach together, having retired in Hervey Bay as they were so taken with the area.
Kellam and Cooper were so moved by her wish that they gladly, and kindly, granted it. They spent 15 minutes at the beach before continuing on to the hospital.
“She loved it. She was really happy, so grateful too. Just one of those people you want to give and give to,” Kellam said in an interview with 7News.
"If you can do something special for them, even though their life is coming to an end, it can give them a fulfilment and that fulfilment is something that’s a blessing for us to be able to give,” Cooper added.
“It was no mean feat just to stop and be able to just give her one last pleasure in life because at the end of the day this lady was going home to die.”
Joyce had chosen a spot where the paramedics could place her by the water’s edge, and she was able to feel the saltwater and sand of the beach one last time. The heroic pair had the idea to fill up a bag with water and sand.
Meeting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex yesterday, Kellam and Cooper presented the expectant pair with souvenir teddy bears, much to Duchess Meghan’s delight.