Giraffe Saying Hello to Terminally Ill Patient During “Last Wish”-Event in Dutch Zoo

Giraffe in Diergaarde Blijdorp pays a touching final greeting to a terminal patient

One more time to Blijdorp. That was the wish of the 26-year-old terminal patient from Alkmaar, to which Stichting Ambulance Wens could contribute on Thursday. It resulted in a special photo. A giraffe’s greeting to the patient causes emotion on social media. “This is what we do it for.”

The family of the young woman sent the photo to Stichting Ambulance Wens. “We were able to take this woman to Blijdorp, despite the fact that she was on a respirator,” says founder of the foundation Kees Veldboer. “This is what we do it for. This lady’s last wish has been fulfilled.”

Many people reacted to the photo on social media. ‘It is special how the giraffe seems to sense the situation. Which gives the photo a certain serene softness. You feel the connection, and that’s so beautiful,” someone writes.

Gisteren kon deze mevrouw nog één keer naar diergaarde Blijdorp. pic.twitter.com/1x5TLkuhhm

— St.Ambulance Wens (@StAmbulancewens) June 26, 2020

Mario

The photo is reminiscent of a wish that the foundation previously fulfilled. In 2014, 54-year-old Mario also said goodbye to the long necks in Blijdorp. Before his illness, despite his mental disability, he cleaned the animals’ enclosures for years. “A very special moment. You saw him beaming and shining,” Veldboer said at the time. The Ambulance Wens Foundation has been fulfilling the last wishes of terminally ill people since 2007.