Yes, what you said. Ronon wasn't holding out a cure, he was holding out a chance for goodbye. Both he and Teyla were clear that the shrine was a place for hopeless cases of delerium to regain some mental capacity to speak to their loved ones for the last time.

It also seems to be skipped over in this discussion that the planet with the shrine was inhabited by a very large number of Wraith, making the trip there dangerous for everyone.