‘Amazing’ beach trip for dying woman
A rare terminal illness had kept Pippa Eden away from the beach, but last week she fulfilled her wish to feel the sand between her toes, the ocean breeze and the saltwater wash over her feet.
At 11.30am on Thursday, during a perfect tide and fine weather, the Nelson woman, her husband Rob and her two children, Caitlin and Connor, spent two blissful hours at Tahunanui Beach.
She was helped by local firefighters who carried her on a chair from the carpark to a blanket set up on the beach.
Eden said it was ‘‘amazing’’ to be at the beach.
‘‘It’s been over a year in waiting. I always grew up in the water or on the water. We lived by the water.’’
Eden was diagnosed with chronic eosinophilic pneumonia in 2014. It causes a decrease in lung function, restriction in mobility and the need for constant oxygen supply.
Eden, 42, is the only New Zealander suffering from the illness.
She has been away from her home for three years, spending the first two years in hospital before being transferred to Nelson Tasman Hospice in January this year.
Hospice nurse Becky Bennett said Eden had often spoken about her love of the beach.
She came up with the idea of a visit to Tahunanui, and told Eden: ‘‘Let’s do it because time’s getting short.’’
Bennett said the couple of hours at the beach meant more to Eden than ‘‘you or I could probably imagine’’.
After taking in the salt air, firefighters carried her in her chair with her oxygen tank to the ocean to feel the water lap at her ankles.
Bennett said it was clear she enjoyed it.
‘‘As she saw the paddleboarder, she said, ‘normally that would be me out there’.
‘‘I just think it just adds to her day to be able to be down here, feel the sand, smell the sea, feel the breeze. She’s telling me she doesn’t want the umbrella, she wants to feel the sun on her skin. All those little things we take for granted, I think it’s just really special for her.’’