A woman has been left devastated after her fiancé died suddenly during a holiday in Greece, with his final moments coming during a trip to see turtles.
Silvana Bernardes, 34, said Cameron Wallace, 33, had travelled to Zante with a friend on August 17 for a five-day break after a difficult period in his life. But just a day later, tragedy struck when Cameron entered the water during a boat trip.
‘Something bad’s happened’
Silvana said she had become increasingly worried after she hadn’t heard from Cameron that morning, before his friend called with the devastating news. She said: “I woke up and for some reason I felt like something was wrong. His friend called and said, ‘I don’t know how to say this, something bad’s happened’.”
“I had a bad feeling. I just started screaming and saying ‘no’ and he said ‘Cameron died’ and I hung up the phone and just cried and sobbed.”
Cameron’s friend had reportedly noticed him floating unresponsive just seconds after he entered the water. Silvana, who lives in Exeter, Devon, said: “They’d had lunch and a few drinks but nothing too much and then he went on a boat trip to find some turtles.
“Within a couple of seconds of being in the water his friend noticed that he wasn’t responsive and was floating next to him.”
His friend performed CPR before getting him back to shore, where lifeguards took over. Cameron was then taken to hospital, but sadly died before he arrived. Silvana said: “When he got to the hospital he was already dead. It’s just terrible.
“He went there to have a nice time and take his mind off things and then this terrible thing happened.”
Cause of death unclear
Cameron’s death came after a worrying few months. He suffered a seizure just two days after starting a new job as a team leader at a water company on May 13. Doctors initially believed stress could have been responsible, but he was later prescribed medication after experiencing panic attacks and difficulties sleeping. He had also seen a neurologist on August 12 and was waiting for further tests.
His cause of death remains unclear, leaving Silvana desperate for answers. She said: “We have been considering whether his death was due to the seizure. Did his heart just stop? Did he have a panic attack or a stroke?”
“Whatever they rule we’ll go with that just to close the chapter and move on with things.”
Plans for the future
Silvana and Cameron had been together for more than 10 years after meeting online in 2016. They became engaged in Colombia last December and had been planning to marry in Vietnam in May 2028. She said: “It’s heartbreaking to lose him. It was so unexpected for me and his family.”
Silvana is now hoping Cameron can be repatriated to the UK, with a fundraiser launched to help bring him home and support his loved ones. She said: “It will mean a lot for me and family and friends to give him his send-off and bring him home.”
Paying tribute to her fiancé, she added: “There’s not enough words to describe Cameron. He was a very kind man with a big heart of gold.” She said he was known for making people laugh, checking in on friends and bringing joy to those around them. “We have been really lucky because we had some lovely holidays and travelled the world and met some lovely people. We had so many plans and so many things we wanted to happen.”
