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A Christchurch woman has died from a cardiac arrest while on holiday with her mother in southeastern France.
Former St Margaret’s College student Bella Beirne, 21, who was in her fourth year studying law and psychology at the University of Canterbury, died while visiting the French Riviera on July 14.
Her mother Hayley Middleton told the NZ Herald Bella was “a truly beautiful loved daughter, sister, granddaughter and friend”.
“To have Bella as a friend, you had her for life. She loved hard and was fiercely loyal. She will remain this way for eternity as we have her very much with us,” Middleton told the Herald.
“A ridiculously huge amount of people are broken-hearted. She was so loved and so kind. And smart. Really, really smart.”
Beirne was travelling with her mum on a trip of a lifetime that took in a Harry Styles concert in London as well as travel in Lisbon, Portugal, Malaga, Grenada and time in Marbella, Barcelona, Nice and the French Riviera.
“Cascais [in Portugal] was a day trip at the beach. Bels loved the sunshine; tanning was her sport; she was a gold medallist at it,” Middleton said.
Bella’s father, Simon Beirne, and her brother Lachie flew to France while she was still in hospital. Her body has now been brought home.
Simon was the founder and managing director of vehicle import business SBL.
Before her daughter’s death, Middleton posted on Instagram about how much Bella loved the illustrated book Belinda goes to Paris as a small child.
“I lost count of how many times that book was chosen... dreaming of wandering the streets of Paris, visiting fountains and taking in the beautiful buildings, history and endless patisseries and sidewalk cafes.
“At some point during the countless number of times that story was shared, we pinky promised that when this teeny tiny baby girl was 21 we’d go to Paris and sip champagne on the Champs-Élysées. And as you know, there’s not much more sacred than a pinky promise.
“So 21-year-old Bels and I are off to sip champagne! How bloody lucky are we!”
Beirne’s death has shocked her wide circle of friends, many of whom have taken to social media to express their grief and condolences to the family.
“Beautiful Bella, an angel. Every thought has been with you all, sending you so much love and thoughts as you all make such a hard journey home,” wrote a friend.
A social media post from Middleton posted on Wednesday thanked friends for their recent messages of love and support.
“We will read and love every single one of them. You and your messages mean the world to us. Especially now,” Middleton wrote.
“We are approximately an hour out of Nice. The sky is blue, the music is playing loud, and our tears continue to flow in disbelief as we bring our girl home. She is so deep rooted in our hearts, comforting us whenever she can.
“And she’s still having fun. Her latest trick was convincing Lach’s he was locked in the bathroom on a plane.
“She’s never far away, and I know she is very happy to have landed on the French Riviera. It’s every bit as beautiful as our girl. Well almost.
“We feel all of your love and support. Please bear with us as we figure out what to do with it. We want the hugs and to share in your love and tears, yet we also want our solitude to grieve and feel our girl in our home and with space around us.
“You are all important to us, and we feel your pain as you try and imagine what it must be like for us right now. I can confirm it is the most harrowing, sad thing in the world and I pray over everyone that we know that you never experience it.”