Woman gets final wish as she travels from hospice care to visit her horse

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A Connecticut woman in hospice care got her final wish on Sunday as she said goodbye to her horse, a cherished companion for 28 years.

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Karina Courtmanche, 79, who was in Mary Wade, a New Haven nursing home, was given a ride to see 30-year-old Bella, who she has owned since the animal was young, WTNH-TV reported.

“We were talking with her and she kept talking about her horse Bella, that she wanted to see Bella,” Michelle Walker, RN Case Manager for CT Hospice, told WFSB-TV.

On Sunday, officials with Mary Wade and American Medical Response made the final reunion between Courtmanche and Bella possible, according to WTNH.

“We know the horse was very important to her, and that this was an important part of her transitioning through this final time of her life, so we’re just really excited that we were able to come together with Mary Wade and CT Hospice to be able to make this happen,” Andrew Rennie, the account executive of business development for American Medical Response, told the television station.

Karina has been a patient at Mary Wade Home for more than a year, WFSB reported.

“Her condition has declined where her body is just failing her,” Walker told the television station. “She’s a lovely lady, she loves to be dressed up to the nines, she loves having the jewelry on, makeup done.”

Once Courtmanche passes away, Bella will continue to be cared for at Bittersweet Farm, according to WFSB.