A 'truly heartbreaking time': Cork hotel launches fundraiser to repatriate body of Ukrainian teenager

Kateryna Tovstyk, who died suddenly last month, had arrived in Ireland last July and was working at the Clonakilty Park Hotel

Kateryna Tovstyk, 18, died unexpectedly at the end of December.

A GoFundMe appeal has been launched to repatriate the body of a Ukrainian teenager who had only just moved to Ireland to “start a new life”.

Kateryna Tovstyk, who died last month, had arrived in Ireland last July and was working in a Cork hotel.

The 18-year-old came here to join her brother Illia and his partner, Oleksandra, at their home in Clonakilty, West Cork.

They had been living there since 2022.

Before her death, Kateryna was working alongside Illia at the Clonakilty Park Hotel.

The hotel’s HR manager Maria Carolan, who has organised the fundraiser, said: “They were delighted to welcome her as she began an exciting time starting out in life.

“Unfortunately, at the end of December, Kateryna died unexpectedly at the young age of 18 years.

Kateryna and Illia’s colleagues at Clonakilty Park Hotel are devastated by the loss and along with people locally have asked how they can help at this truly heartbreaking time for Illia and his family.

Of her memories of her, she said: “She was a very quiet, very unassuming and very mannerly girl. She always had a lovely smile and was a very hard worker.

“She had come over here to live and just wanted to start a new life over here. It is just so sad that she was only with us for such a short space of time.”

She added: “This GoFundMe has been set up with the family’s agreement.

“Illia and his family also sadly lost their father just over a year ago. We can’t take away the heartache of Illia losing his sister, but we can try and ease the financial burden of the Tovstyk Family.

“Illia and Oleksandra have been making the difficult decisions and arrangements for burial of Kateryna and her repatriation to Ukraine.

“This is a long and difficult journey considering the complications of getting to Ukraine at the moment. Once home, she will be met by her grieving mother.”

She said any donation — “no matter the size” — will make a difference.

Ms Carolan also asked people to share details of the fundraiser with friends and family as “this would be greatly appreciated by Kateryna's family, friends and work colleagues”.

More than €1,500 had been raised by lunchtime on Thursday of the €12,000 target of the fundraiser, which was published on Wednesday.

Details of her funeral have yet to be published as the family is still trying to work out the logistics of returning Kateryna back to her mother in Ukraine.

While a local undertaker is assisting the family with the international repatriation process, documentation needs to be arranged with the Ukrainian embassy in Dublin.

Arrangements also have to be made with a firm of undertakers in Ukraine, which is still at war with Russia.