When Carsten Fleming Hansen was brought to the university clinic in Aarhus, Denmark, he knew he didn’t have long to live. An aneurysm in his abdominal artery had burst and he was already too ill for an operation. The doctors gave him a few days (or maybe only a few ours) to live.
Carsten accepted his fate and made one final request: he wanted to enjoy one last cigarette and a glass of wine. Smoking in the hospital is strictly prohibited, but that didn’t stop his nurses from finding a way to fulfill his final wish.
They rolled Carsten’s bed onto the balcony and gave him a cigarette and a glass of wine. And they spared no attention to detail — they even found his favorite brand of cigarettes! Carsten savored every last puff and, together with his family, enjoyed the beautiful sunset over the city skyline.
He died last Friday surrounded by his loving family.
When that final moment comes, perhaps there are more important things than getting the next treatment, or even than hospital rules. It’s wonderful when someone about to die can enjoy what made them happiest during their life, one last time. The staff at this clinic deserve respect for making one man’s dying wish a reality!
