A well-known travel influencer has tragically passed away at the age of 28 after falling ill during a party on Boracay Island in the Philippines.
Vanessa Konopka, a German vlogger, was left bedridden in a Philippine hospital for several months, unable to speak, eat, or walk. According to her grieving boyfriend, Fernando, she was diagnosed with pneumonia and severe liver damage, as reported by the New York Post.
Her boyfriend, Fernando, took to Facebook and posted about Vanessa passing away. He wrote:
“Hello everyone,
This morning, on March 7th, Vanessa passed away. She always loved connecting with you all, and her love for the Philippines was beyond words.
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.
She and Fernando co-hosted a popular vlog channel called “Happiness Crossing,” where they shared videos of their travels and adventures. In recent months, however, Konopka shifted the focus of her content to document her health journey, regularly updating viewers on her condition and time in the hospital.
In recent weeks, Konopka had made a brief return to social media, sharing updates as her condition showed slight signs of improvement.
“Vanessa is out of danger now, she reunited with her mother and they are both now in Boracay,” he wrote previously.
“They will wait a few more days until Vanessa gets strong enough so she can go back to Germany for treatment.”
At the time, Fernando launched a GoFundMe campaign in hopes of raising enough money to bring Konopka home via air ambulance.
Tragically, she passed away just two weeks later.
The couple, who first met in Australia, relocated to Boracay together in December 2022.
