Family and friends are mourning the sudden death of a 33-year-old British woman, who died on the morning of her wedding ceremony.
Nadia Joseph-Gosine traveled across the world to the island of Trinidad at the end of November to marry Devon Gosine, 37, according to My London.
Joseph-Gosine and her 10-year-old son Emari spent weeks in the countryside on the island where the groom lived ahead of the nuptials, but on Dec. 7, the night before the couple was to exchange their vows, their pre-martial bliss came to a devasting halt. Joseph-Gosine died in her sleep.
“I can’t stop being reminded of what happened. Seeing everything and still, I’m in disbelief. After all that time, we were finally getting married,” Gosine told My London. “We were preparing for the rest of our life, and all of a sudden, it gets taken away. It was the toughest thing.”
The night before the wedding, Gosine said the excited couple spent the evening talking to friends and receiving well-wishes for the ceremony. They had been together five years and were finally tying the knot. He noticed Joseph-Gosine was restless when it was time to turn in, but he assumed it was pre-wedding jitters. He thought nothing of it when they cuddled close that night, and she fell asleep in his arms.
However, around 2 a.m., he tried to wake her by kissing her on the cheek, a ritual the two had instituted in their long-distance relationship whenever they slept together. But this time, she did not wake up.
Gosine said he contacted emergency medical professionals, who worked to resuscitate her for 45 minutes, but with no success.
“It just happened all of a sudden,” he said. “At least she didn’t have to suffer.”
The bride’s sister, Isha Daley, said she believes Joseph-Gosine may have died due to pre-existing issues with her liver and kidneys. However, Daley thought that any organ-related illnesses her sister had in the past had been resolved. Gosine reportedly had no idea that his partner was ever sick.
Daley said she discovered her sister’s liver was so damaged there was nothing doctors could have done, even if she sought additional medical care. She was told her sister would have only an additional two weeks to her life if she had undergone any treatment.
“She just wanted to be happy. A little firecracker. She was very beautiful. Absolutely stunning. And she loved life, loved to travel,” Daley said of her sister.
Gosine said he is devastated by the loss, saying his bride was “the most loving, caring, and genuine person.”
“She would go all out for you, and she was the most hard-working. She was always happy. Whatever she was going through, she was always happy. She was the love of my life. She was always the best part of my life,” Gosine remembered.
The extended family, both Gosine and Daley, are shifting their attention to the care of Emari. Gosine said he is prepared to become the custodial parent while they are still in Trinidad. Daley said she would step in to care for the boy when he has to return to Europe, where his biological father lives and can seek custody. However, Daley said she does not know where he is.
The two are trying to guide Emari through the aftermath of the mother’s death delicately.
“He does know she is no longer here, and everyone keeps him distracted,” said Daley.
Daley launched a GoFundMe page to raise money to bring the child back to London and to cremate her sister. She said Joseph-Gosine canceled her life insurance policy around September and did not purchase travel insurance when booking the trip.