A GERMAN backpacker has died months after she fell seriously ill at a party.
Travel vlogger Vanessa Konopka and her Brazilian boyfriend Fernando were partying with the locals on the beautiful vacation island of Boracay when she collapsed on December 31.
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She spent the New Year lying in bed at the Asia Pacific Medical Center – Aklan, where doctors diagnosed her with pneumonia and severe liver damage.
The young woman from Solingen was bedridden as the illnesses ravaged her body, rendering her ‘unable to eat properly, walk, or even speak easily’.
She spent weeks bedridden before she was well enough to sit up on her own or leave the room for fresh air.
Despite her deteriorating condition, Vanessa managed to continue posting videos to their shared vlog, Happiness Crossing, documenting her life from her hospital bed.
Footage shows Vanessa, her skin appearing to yellow from jaundice, reviewing hospital meals and food from local restaurants.
Her boyfriend, Fernando, had set up a GoFundMe page to ask for help as he said the air ambulance back to Germany would cost 200,000 Euros.
In a hopeful update on February 20, he wrote online: “Vanessa is out of danger now, she reunited with her Mother and they are both now in Boracay.
“They will wait a few more days till Vanessa gets strong enough so she can go back to Germany for treatment.
“We thank you for all your prayers, all donation, all words of support. God will bless you all.”
Tragically, just two weeks later, Vanessa passed away.
Heartbroken Fernando confirmed her death on March 7 as he said: “Once again, I can only ask for your prayers so that God may bring comfort to the hearts of her loved ones.
“I trust in Him, I know He is with Vanessa and I know God is always with us.
“Kushka, if you are perhaps reading this somewhere, thank you so much for teaching me how to love myself doesn’t matter what other people think, she showed me how to love myself, and how to follow my dreams.
“I will forever love you and we may see each other again.”
The couple had met each other in Port Douglas, Australia, and had been living in the Philippines since December 2022.
They lived on Boracay, where they recorded content showcasing the island life on their vlog, Happiness Crossing.
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