With a pie in one hand and a beer in another, Simon Baraniec is fulfilling his final wish surrounded by loved ones at the Adelaide Oval.
On Monday, the palliative care patient’s dream came true one last time thanks to a new program designed to grant wishes to people at their end stage of life.
“That is truly good, having a beer after that long,” Mr Baraniec said.
“It’s probably the best day I’ve had by far.”
The 55-year-old is terminally ill with spinal cancer after being diagnosed in November.
The Power fan said he felt “amazingly special” to be the first recipient of Ambulance Wish South Australia — a collaboration between Palliative Care SA, St John Ambulance SA and Flinders University.
“Everybody’s pitched in to do all this stuff,” Mr Baraniec said.
“I can’t believe I was the first one to be able to do it. I’m just awe-struck.
“Palliative isn’t the doom and gloom side of hospital. It’s more about caring and giving people things like this, quality of life.”
Palliative Care South Australia CEO Shyla Mills said 12,000 South Australians at the palliative-care stage of illness died every year.
“We will all die one day and it’s important for us to realise that we all have a special connection with someone around us,” Ms Mills said.
“We can try to make a wish come true for people around us and we can make memories that will last a lifetime.
“At the end stage of life, often really simple things make a big difference.”
The SA government has made a $250,000 contribution to Ambulance Wish South Australia over two and a half years, while St John Ambulance SA has provided a kitted-out ambulance and volunteers to help transport patients.
Ms Mills said the current funding would fulfil 10 wishes in the first year but the organisation hoped to seek more support from businesses and the community.
“We hope to expand this across the whole state to be available and with a goal to be fulfilling 75 to a 100 wishes a year,” Ms Mills said.
“We do need the community to get behind this because this program is available for palliative care patients and they are really keen. They’ve got a lot of wishes they’d like to fulfil.”
Ms Mills has a personal stake in seeing this program succeed. Her father, who was a GP and a key player in the SA program’s launch, died 18 months ago.
“The wish bear that all the wish recipients will receive is named after my father,” Ms Mills said.
“This program is a big thing from my family’s heart to make a big difference.
“But it’s not just us; it’s taken so many people to make this happen.”
SA Health Minister Chris Picton said the program offered people with life-limiting conditions different experiences in their final days or weeks.
“This is really nation-leading work to be able to connect families to palliative care services and help [in] what’s quite a confusing and difficult time,” he said.
Mr Baraniec’s sister, Alison Topham, said the experience was “something that money can’t buy” and an opportunity to bring her family together.
“The memories that it’s making, it’s awesome,” she said.
“It’s something that we won’t forget and I’m sure Simon will talk about it forever.”
