Carsten Hansen’s dying wish wasn’t a complicated one. The 75-year-old man wanted to smoke a cigarette, drink a glass of white wine, and watch the sun set. His wish was, however, against hospital rules.
After suffering an aortic aneurysm, Hansen was admitted to a Denmark hospital in April. The surgery to repair the aneurysm was long and complicated, and Hansen would need to stay in the hospital for the recovery.
However, Hansen was too weak and sick to survive the surgery. Without it, he probably wouldn’t live more than a few hours, since the aneurysm had caused significant internal bleeding. Knowing that he had just a few hours to live, Hansen told nurses that he wished to smoke a cigarette, drink white wine, and watch the sun set.
Working together, the nurses found some white wine. Hansen’s hospital room had a view of the setting sun, so that part of his wish would be taken care of. Finding a cigarette proved to be a challenge, though. The hospital had a no-smoking policy to help protect its patients’ health. However, Rikki Kvist, Hansen’s nurse, decided that just this one time it would be okay to break that rule.
Nurses wheeled Hansen out onto the balcony, lit a cigarette for him, and gave him a glass of white wine. Hansen was able to watch the sun setting with his family.
According to Kvist, the atmosphere was a relaxed one. Hansen’s family was doing their best to cope with the fact that he was going to die, but the moment was also filled with love and humor.
When the nurses shared the special moment through a Facebook post, other Facebook users praised their actions in fulfilling Hansen’s last wish.
Users posted comments in support of the nurses, stating that the hospital provided hope, and some users even posted that they wished their own relatives had had such an experience.
Hansen passed away on April 28, but thanks to a special team of nurses, he got to live out his dying wish.
HENRY KOTULA 