Lifelong horse lover Denise Lee “died peacefully 36 hours later,” said her daughter, Joanne Mullarkey
- Denise Lee, a lifelong horse lover, received a terminal cancer diagnosis that separated her from the animals she adored
- Her daughter’s public appeal led horse owner Kerry Saunders to bring two ponies to visit Lee’s bedside
- Her daughter explained, “Mum died peacefully 36 hours later but I’m so very grateful she got to experience something so meaningful in the last day that she was properly conscious”
A hospice patient saw her final wish fulfilled when two horses walked up to her bedside.
Denise Lee, a 79-year-old grandmother of four, always loved horses, and she dedicated many years of her life to riding and supporting organizations like Riding for the Disabled, per Sussex World and the BBC. But when she received a terminal cancer diagnosis three years ago, Lee’s condition separated her from the animals she loved most.
In August, she told her daughter, Joanne Mullarkey, and her hospice staff at St. Barnabas House in Worthing, England, that she hoped to experience the “horsey smell” and touch a horse again once more. Joanne put out a call to the public for assistance on Facebook, and within hours, local horse owner Kerry Saunders offered to bring two ponies to St. Barnabas House for a visit.
St. Barnabas healthcare assistant Claire Wiggins, who helped arrange the visit, told PEOPLE that the special meeting speaks to the hospice’s philosophy on patient care.
“At our hospices, we ask patients ‘What matters to you today?’ In this way, we can focus on those things right at the front of their mind that day, and it can be something as simple as spending time with a loved one, getting outdoors, or listening to their favorite music,’ Wiggins told PEOPLE exclusively.
“When I asked Denise what mattered to her, she told me she just wanted to see a horse, one more time; she wanted to feel its breath on her hand. So, I spoke with her family, and we made a few calls together, put a shout out on Facebook, and the amazing Kerry stepped forward with the offer of bringing her two ponies into the hospice for a visit,” she continued.
Wiggins said they “moved quickly” from there, and the “special visitors” arrived at the hospice “the very next morning.”
Denise was just so delighted. It was a very emotional moment; we all cried. But I’m just so happy that we were able to help fulfill Denise’s last wish and for her family to have these precious memories with their mum,” Wiggins added.
Mullarkey later posted about the unforgettable experience with her mom on Facebook, sharing that Denise died “peacefully” shortly after the visit with the ponies.
“It was perfect, mum cried, we cried, the nurses cried!” Mullarkey wrote in the post. “Mum died peacefully 36 hours later but I’m so very grateful she got to experience something so meaningful in the last day that she was properly conscious. I cannot thank them enough.”
In her post, Mullarkey shared several images of her mother gleefully petting the horses — one taupe-colored with a black mane, another white with black spots —smiling contentedly as she placed a hand on a horse’s nose.
Mullarkey added that she was “truly humbled” by the care of her neighbors, who brought her family this special moment.
She said, “Thanks everyone, we will always have a beautiful memory to look back on.”
While speaking to the BBC, Saunders, who owns the ponies, said Lee’s face “lit up” at the sight of the horses.
“I just felt so privileged to be able to fulfill one of her last wishes, and the ponies were absolutely amazing,” she added.
