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Siblings Reunite with Volunteer Who Helped Grant Their Mum's Final Wish

Sister and brother, Gemma and Matthew Schiebe, have been reunited with Welsh Ambulance Services Trust staff member Emma Eatwell, who along with Robert Lineham volunteered to help take their late mother Karen on an emotional final journey to Tenby earlier this year.

The siblings have since raised more than £6,900 for the Welsh Ambulance Services Charity to support the Wish Ambulance project, a voluntary scheme helping families experience the same gift their mother received.

The reunion took place as Gemma and Matthew presented their fundraising total to the Charity, 4 months after their mother’s final trip.

Delivered entirely by WAST staff who volunteer their time, the Wish Ambulance is run by the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust and is supported entirely by volunteers and by charitable funding. It helps people nearing the end of their lives to have one last wish fulfilled, helping them make a safe, meaningful journey to a place that matters to them.

For Karen, who had sadly been given a short life expectancy after being diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumour, her wish was to spend one last day at the beach in Tenby surrounded by her children. The Wish Ambulance was able to support this by providing a trained crew of WAST volunteers who ensured she was safe, comfortable, and able to enjoy the time fully.

She was able to spend precious time with her children in the place she loved most. Gemma and Matthew remarked at how happy their mother was and how much she smiled as she enjoyed the sea air, and a portion of fish and chips. Karen died less than 2 weeks later.

Gemma and Matthew raised money through online giving, sharing their story on social media, speaking to friends and family, and collecting donations at Karen’s funeral, where they displayed photos from the Wish Ambulance trip.

Gemma Schiebe said: “We promised our mum we’d help other people in her name. She was such a giving person. It just felt right.”

“For us it was about giving something back and keeping our mum’s legacy going. After she passed away, we wanted to make sure other families going through that horrible experience would have the chance to make memories too.”

Emergency Medical Technician, Emma Eatwell said: “I volunteered for the Wish Ambulance because it is just such a lovely thing to be able to do for families. To be able to participate and to allow them to have a nice final day of creating memories.

“It brings a lump to the throat to talk to about it, but it has been an absolute privilege to have been a part of it.”

Gemma explained that the trip with their mum had shown them what the Wish Ambulance can make possible: “When someone is at the end of life and can’t get out of bed or travel on their own, it feels like all options have gone. But the Wish Ambulance makes things possible again and that is just magic.”

Editors notes:

For more information or to arrange a spokesperson interview please contact

David Hopkins, Head of Charity. amb_charity@wales.nhs.uk

About Welsh Ambulance Service Charity:

  • The Welsh Ambulance Service Charity is the only official NHS charity that supports the Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust, the national ambulance service of Wales.
  • The Welsh Ambulance Service Charity supports patients, staff and volunteers across Wales.
  • If you would like to know more about the Charity, please visit: https://ambulance.nhs.wales/charity/

About the Wish Ambulance:

  • The Wish Ambulance has been developed to enable people near the end of their life to have a meaningful journey.
  • The service is provided by volunteer staff from Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust (WAST) with support from the patient’s Specialist Palliative Care Team (SPCT).
  • It is available for use by patients across Wales. A referral can be made by a clinician such as a palliative medicine doctor, a palliative care nurse or the patients GP.