Travel influencer dead at 28 after sickness left her unable to speak, eat and walk

A popular travel influencer has died after falling ill at a party on the island of Boracay in the Philippines. She was 28.

German vlogger Vanessa Konopka was left unable to speak, eat and walk and spent the last few months of her life bedbound in a Philippines hospital after she was diagnosed with pneumonia and severe liver damage, her heartbroken boyfriend Fernando revealed.

Konopka returned to social media in recent weeks after her condition began to improve slightly.

She and Fernando ran a successful vlog channel called “Happiness Crossing,” which featured footage of the pair’s travels.

In recent months, Konopka’s footage centered around her health battle as she frequently posted updates on her condition and her hospital stay.

Fans grew increasingly concerned over her health, as recent videos showed her skin turning yellow from jaundice.

Still, in a Feb. 20 video, Fernando said she was “out of danger.”

“Vanessa is out of danger now, she reunited with her mother and they are both now in Boracay,” he wrote at the time.

“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 had set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds for Konopka to be able to fly back home in an air ambulance.

However, she succumbed to her illness just two weeks later.

“Once again, I can only ask for your prayers so that God may bring comfort to the hearts of her loved ones,” Fernando wrote, confirming she died on March 7.

“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, it 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,” he added.

The pair, who first met in Australia, had moved in together in Boracay in December 2022.