The memory of a lifetime

For people in palliative care, a simple chance to reconnect with their lives – to visit a place of personal significance, feel the breeze of the seaside or even to be surrounded by loved ones in their final days can mean the world.

For Amanda Jessup, affectionately known as AJ, this was the beach of her childhood.

“Many conversations came back to the one place – Point Roadknight beach in Anglesea. When AJ spoke of this particular beach, her voice would change; it was as though she could smell the sea as we talked,” explains AJ’s close friend Sharon Tooley.

In 2018, AJ was diagnosed with metastasised breast cancer. Although she had initially beaten the disease, it returned to her bones and her stomach leaving her with a devastating prognosis. In December 2020, AJ was restricted to a wheelchair and by April this year, she entered palliative care.

“The last few years had been difficult and since entering palliative care in April, AJ's diary had been filled with medical appointments and short periods of rest between treatments. It seemed the best days were behind her and a fast fading, almost distant memory,” Sharon says.

AJ’s friends wanted to give her that chance to visit Point Roadknight beach and let her soak up the sun, memories and her love of the place once again. However, the journey from AJ’s home in Eltham to Anglesea, while physically short in distance, seemed an impossible task.

“It had been two and a half years since AJ had felt the sand between her toes. The days where she could sit in a car for more than 15 minutes were behind her,” Sharon says.

Looking for a way to help fulfil AJ’s wish, Sharon was soon connected with the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Victoria and its brand new service, Flying Doctor Memory Lane.

Launched in May 2021, Flying Doctor Memory Lane is a free service that supports people in end of life care to visit a place of personal significance. It is intended to not only bring joy to the patient, but to also ensure beautiful memories for their family and friends.

Memory Lane transports are facilitated by volunteers with frontline responder or healthcare experience and utilise purpose-built vehicles to ensure clients reach their moment safely and comfortably.

For AJ, the dream to visit Anglesea quickly became a reality and she was booked in for a Flying Doctor Memory Lane transport in June.

“For the first time in months, there was something to look forward to,” Sharon says.

On the day of the journey, AJ was picked up by Flying Doctor Memory Lane volunteers Pat Bliem and Adam Appleby in one of the custom-built Memory Lane vehicles which also allowed for Sharon to ride with AJ.

“Pat and Adam were the perfect medicine and the custom-built vehicle is more like a campervan than an ambulance with everything you could possibly need,” Sharon adds.

AJ’s husband Peter drove down separately to pick up a beach access wheelchair donated by the Anglesea YMCA for the day.

Along the way Pat and Adam stopped at AJ’s favourite fish and chip shop as well as her favourite cake shop in Anglesea and then took her to the beach where she met up with a couple of local friends.

“On the beach you could see AJ absorbing her surroundings, every sound, sight and smell,” Sharon says. “Seeing AJ reconnect with this beautiful location in Anglesea was nothing short of a miracle.”

After spending some precious time on the beach with Peter, AJ was ready to go home and Adam and Pat drove back via the Barwon River Bridge to give her a view of the sunset.

“I am not sure it is possible to articulate the significant impact this experience had for AJ and her family and friends. I doubt anyone other than the Flying Doctor could have pulled this off,” Sharon explains.

Sadly, AJ passed away just a month later, but for Sharon, the journey helped to make an impactful difference in AJ’s final days.

“For people like AJ, it is an unspoken expectation that each day will be harder than the last, where your best days are behind you. Royal Flying Doctor Service – Victoria changed this story for AJ,” she says.

“I am in awe that this has come to fruition from the generous donations of our community and the kindness and great hearts of the Flying Doctor team.”