WELSH DAD PAULO BROCKWAY, 44, DIES SUDDENLY ON ANNIVERSARY HOLIDAY AS FIANCÉE PAYS HEARTBREAKING TRIBUTE

A Welsh father has died suddenly while celebrating his anniversary with his fiancée in Cyprus, leaving his family devastated and the woman he planned to marry facing an unimaginable loss.

Paulo Brockway, 44, from Cardiff, became seriously ill on September 16 — the very day he and his fiancée, Kerry Debono, were due to fly home after their three-year anniversary holiday.

He died the following day, September 17.

Kerry said the couple had been enjoying their time together and had even talked about returning to Cyprus to get married.

“I’M ABSOLUTELY DEVASTATED”

Speaking about the sudden loss, Kerry said she was struggling to comprehend what had happened.

“I just can’t believe it’s all happened. I’m absolutely devastated, heartbroken and my heart is in a million pieces,” she told BBC Wales.

The couple had travelled from Cardiff to Cyprus to celebrate their three-year anniversary.

Kerry said Paulo had fallen in love with the island during their relationship and had told her: “This is the place we need to get married.”

The couple had even placed a lock on a bridge in Cyprus as a symbol of their relationship.

But what was supposed to be a romantic anniversary trip ended in tragedy.

PAULO BECAME ILL ON THE DAY THEY WERE DUE TO FLY HOME

According to Kerry, Paulo suddenly became seriously unwell on the day they were scheduled to return to the UK.

He was taken to hospital, where doctors discovered he had pancreatitis.

Kerry said Cypriot doctors told her Paulo had suffered a cardiac arrest following pancreatitis, which she said had previously gone undiagnosed.

He died in hospital the following day.

Earlier reports had described the death as a heart attack followed by complications, but the more recent account from Kerry gives pancreatitis and the subsequent cardiac arrest as the explanation provided to her by doctors.

“HE HAD SO MUCH TO LIVE FOR”

Kerry said the speed of Paulo’s deterioration was almost impossible to understand.

“He had so much to live for and he was just gone in the blink of an eye,” she said.

She described him as someone who had been thriving before the sudden illness.

The couple had been making plans for their future together, including their wedding.

His death has left behind his fiancée, his 12-year-old son, his mother, sisters and brother.

Family members said they were “completely heartbroken” by the unexpected loss.

A PASSION FOR MOUNTAIN CLIMBING

In the years before his death, Paulo developed a strong passion for mountain climbing.

Kerry said he began climbing mountains around three years ago and quickly fell in love with the challenge.

He also used his climbs to raise money for charity and help others.

“He climbed mountains for charity, raising money to help others, and the challenge of each climb gave him something to look forward to — always wanting to reach the next, bigger mountain,” Kerry wrote in a fundraising appeal.

She said climbing had brought Paulo enormous happiness and had become a major part of his life.

FAMILY FACES PAINFUL FAREWELL

Paulo’s death has also created a difficult financial burden for his loved ones.

Kerry said Paulo did not have life insurance and launched a fundraiser to help cover the cost of his funeral.

His body was expected to be repatriated from Cyprus to Cardiff, with the family preparing for funeral arrangements once he was brought home.

The fundraiser has also become a way for Kerry to tell people about the man she loved.

“My fiancé Paulo Brockway fell ill the day we were due to fly home,” she wrote.

“He passed away the following day, on 17th September. He was just 44 years old. I am devastated and will miss him terribly.”

“I WILL LOVE AND MISS YOU FOREVER”

Kerry’s final message to Paulo was a deeply personal one.

“I will love and miss you forever, Paulo,” she wrote.

“Forever your broken-hearted fiancée, Kerry.”

For Kerry and Paulo’s family, the Cyprus trip was meant to mark three years of love and memories.

Instead, it became the final journey they would ever take together.

Paulo was 44 years old and, according to those closest to him, still had plans, dreams and a future he was excited to share with the woman he intended to marry.