Firefighters decided to help a dying man by lifting his family to the fourth-floor window of a care home so he could see them again one last time and say his final goodbyes.
When 87-year-old Henry Nijhove’s health deteriorated, he thought he’d never see his family ever again because of coronavirus lockdown measures.
It was his granddaughter, Chante, who contacted the fire brigade and asked for help and the firefighters were more than happy to provide assistance.
The crew arrived at the Anton de Komplein residential care home with a ladder and helped the family members up so they could say goodbye.
“I didn’t write any fancy letters, I just called them and told them the story,” Chante told AT5.
“You would prefer to give someone a kiss one last time, give them a pat and stuff like that, but well it’s better than nothing and I’d rather have this than video calling because here he can still see that you are physically there.”
She continued: “I have no words to express how grateful I am that this was even possible, and that we were allowed to do this. It’s like I said, we are a really close family, and my grandfather is really everything to us.”
Mildred, Henry’s daughter, also thanked the firefighters and said they wanted to show her father that they are there for him and that they love him very much.
“This was pretty much the only way he could see his grandchildren again,” he expressed.
One internet user commented: “Love the Dutch, a practical, pragmatic and compassionate solution.Best wishes to this loving family.”
Another wrote: “How very sad and what a super thing the local Fire & Rescue people did. Well done.”
A third added: “A wonderfully loving and surreal send-off. I like to think he was amused and delighted by the effort. All involved were blessed either way.”
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