The online traveler community is mourning the loss of a fellow explorer. 

Vanessa Konopka, a German influencer who shared her adventures living in Boracay, Philippines under the name @happinesscrossing, died March 7 after a battle with liver damage and pneumonia, her boyfriend Fernando confirmed in a Facebook post that same day. She was 28. 

“This morning, on March 7th, Vanessa passed away,” Fernando wrote. “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.”

Fernando, who also shared about his own travels in the Philippines alongside Vanessa, also included a note directly to his late girlfriend. 

“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,” he continued. “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.”