A heartbroken father has revealed he had to identify his partner’s body – on the same day he had planned to propose.....CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
JJ Warner, 40, and Sophie Runkee, 34, from Hull, had booked a ‘memory-making’ holiday in Turkey earlier this month following JJ’s cancer diagnosis.
The couple hoped to spend precious time with their three children, including 11-week-old Luca, Alicia, 14, Tommy, nine, before JJ’s treatment began.
JJ was even planning to ask Sophie to marry him and had bought a ring from a jewellery shop near their holiday apartment. But on the evening he had planned to propose, he instead faced the devastating ordeal of formally identifying her body.
Their ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ trip became a nightmare after Sophie’s lifeless body was found on the balcony of their hotel apartment. It is believed the mother had fallen unconscious after a night out and choked to death on her vomit.
JJ said: ‘Sophie was the love of my life. She was a wonderful mum and was the life and soul of every room. We miss her so much.’
On July 11 Sophie and Alicia went out for some mother and daughter time, spending all night dancing together in the local bars while JJ stayed in with the boys.
He said: ‘She didn’t usually drink but she was worried about my cancer diagnosis, and she went out and drank far too much. It was a stress release.
‘We argued about it, and she went onto the balcony to sleep it off. When we found her, she was unconscious.’
Tragically, it was Sophie’s teen daughter Alicia who first stumbled across her mother’s unresponsive body on the balcony.
In a desperate attempt to rescue Sophie’s life, JJ rushed over, cleared her airways, and began CPR.
He miraculously managed to bring her back, but any hope was short-lived as her pulse was weak and she had to be urgently dashed to hospital.
Devastatingly, there was nothing more the doctors could do to save Sophie’s life and she died just 24 hours later.
JJ added: ‘The Turkish doctors did all they could, but she passed away in hospital two days later.’
JJ and Sophie met two years ago through an online dating site and instantly fell in love.
He said: ‘I had never really opened up to anyone before, but I trusted Sophie. We’d both had a lot of sadness in our past, and we bonded over that.
‘She was really bubbly and chatty, and she had a heart of gold. She adored her two children.
‘Once a month, we had a date night, we’d go to a spa, or we’d take the dogs out for a long walk. We just loved being together.’
Sophie gave birth to the couple’s son, Luca, in April this year, and the couple settled down to family life with Sophie’s son and daughter from a previous relationship. But when Luca was just four weeks old, JJ found a lump on his bottom.
He said: ‘I’d had a lump removed in the past, so I was instantly worried. I went for tests, and they found more lumps in my groin and my neck. I was told the first lump was a melanoma, skin cancer, and it hit us hard.
‘We booked a last-minute trip to Turkey, to cheer the kids up, and spend some quality time before my treatment began.
‘Our concern was how we’d manage if anything happened to me – not for a moment thinking Sophie would be the one to die.’
Sophie and JJ were due to get married in Scotland in just six weeks after bringing the wedding forward following his skin cancer diagnosis.
He said: ‘We were planning to marry in Scotland early in September, but I wanted to surprise Sophie with a romantic proposal. She didn’t know where or when I would do it.
‘I found a jeweller near our apartment, and we picked out a ring. I planned to propose later in the holiday, and I’d confided in the kids. Sophie had no idea what day I’d choose. I wanted it to be really special, to show her what she meant to me.
‘She had my initials tattooed onto her finger, which I loved.’
Eight days into the holiday, JJ took a call from his doctors informing him they suspected cancer in a second lump.
He said: ‘Sophie took it really badly, she was stressed and was really worried about me. She didn’t usually drink but she went out and got really drunk. I babysat, and I was annoyed when she got back. I took the baby out for a walk, to let her sober up.
‘She was sleeping it off on the balcony and I made sure she was covered with a towel, and she had sunscreen on.’
But when JJ returned, Sophie was unconscious and had vomited.
He said: ‘I began CPR, trying to save her until the paramedics arrived. She was rushed to hospital and placed in ICU in a coma. I was only allowed 5 minutes with her. I was devastated.
‘I was looking after the children, trying to stay positive, but it was horrendous.’
Sophie never regained consciousness and on the second day, the hospital told JJ nothing more could be done. He was allowed a second brief visit to say goodbye.
He said: ‘On the evening I was supposed to propose, I instead went to formally identify Sophie’s body. It felt like a nightmare. I could not bear the thought of leaving her there on her own.
‘Before we left, I had a tattoo done, in her memory, at the same studio she’d used.
‘The Turkish doctors say Sophie choked on her own vomit. She had a post-mortem and I arranged to have her body brought back home.
‘We’re supposed to be planning our wedding, instead I’m arranging a funeral. It feels like a nightmare.
‘I still have to face my cancer treatment, on my own, and look after the kids. Little Luca is a daily reminder of his mummy, and I am thankful for him. But my heart is broken. Sophie is my one true love, my soulmate, and she will live in my heart forever.’
Sophie did not have any travel insurance and JJ is now faced with the unexpected hospital bills as well as the cost of getting Sophie’s body back home to Hull where she can be laid to rest.
Sophie’s best friend, Jenny Phillips, has set up a GoFundMe page in a bid to support JJ and the children…CONTINUE READING>>
