An elderly cancer patient was given the chance to say a final goodbye to his horse last Friday, after staff at Bodmin Community Hospital in Cornwall, UK, arranged for the animal to be brought in for a surprise visit.
Frank Keat, 80, worked as a breeder and had owned thousands of horses over the course of his life. After it was decided that he was too ill to make a final visit to his stables, staff decided to bring 5 year-old Early Morn, a thoroughbred which Keat bred in 2010, into the hospital to see him.
“I can honestly say that this is the most memorable day of my career,” said staff nurse Samantha Russell. “The emotion was overwhelming and there wasn’t a dry eye on the ward.”
Russell went on to explain that Keat had broke in Early Morn himself, and was keen to see him again.
“Sadly, he was not well enough to visit the stable,” she said. “The nursing team came up with the fantastic idea of arranging for his horse to be brought to the hospital without him knowing.
“We wheeled his bed out on to the patio where he was greeted by his beautiful horse.
“Frank was just overwhelmed and speechless.”
Keat passed away on Monday.