The heartbreaking final words of a 24-year-old woman who died suddenly on a plane have been revealed.
Manpreet Kaur, 24, who was studying to be a chef in Melbourne, Australia, had boarded a plane headed to Delhi, India, to visit her family after not having seen them in four years.
Tragically, she never made it back to see her loved ones, as she suddenly passed away just before take-off.
Her cousin and roommate has revealed the tragic final words she said before leaving for the fateful flight.
An autopsy concluded that Manpreet had died from tuberculosis, which she had been suffering from, unknowingly, in the months before her death.
Her cousin, Kuldeep Kaur, revealed that Manpreet's health had deteriorated recently, explaining: "She had difficulty talking and during that last week she had no energy to do anything and was just lying in bed."
Kuldeep revealed that the last thing Manpreet had said to her before leaving for the airport was: "I will come back."
She heartbreakingly added: "I drove her to the airport that morning and she said, 'I will come back.'"
She explained that Manpreet had wanted to make the trip to India to help with her recovery and be among friends and family that could take care of her until she was well again and was expected to fly back to Australia on July 25.
However, her body will not be allowed to leave Australia due to her cause of death being down to tuberculosis, a highly infectious respiratory disease that affects the lungs.
Therefore, her family has been forced to apply for visas to be able to fly to Australia to hold a funeral for her.
Her friend, Gurdip Grewal, told the outlet that the family is "devastated ... (and) experiencing a mix of shock, grief, and disbelief," adding: "It's been a very tough time for everyone."
A GoFundMe was set up to help her family be able to be there to lay her to rest, and has raised over $44,000 of its $30,000 target at the time of writing.
The fundraiser stated: "Our dear friend Manpreet left us too soon, leaving a void in our lives that can never be filled. As we grieve her passing, we want to come together to honor her memory and support her family in their time of need."
Ravinder Singh, a stranger who'd been sitting next to Manpreet on the plane and was the last person to speak to her, revealed how she'd spent her final moments.
Ravinder, who had been in Australia visiting his family, boarded the plane after Manpreet - who was in the aisle seat - and began speaking to her after asking her stand up for him to be able to get to his seat.
He told News.com.au: "I was sitting next to her on the Qantas flight from Melbourne to Delhi and was the last person to talk to her."
Ravinder revealed that he saw Manpreet, who was from Dharampura in northern India, scrolling through photos on her phone as they waited for the plane to begin taxiing, and notice that she stopped on a photo of an elderly couple.
"I asked if they were her parents. She smiled and nodded and kept staring at it," he revealed.
When the plane began to move towards the runway to prepare for take-off, Ravinder said Manpreet - who was buckled into her seat - put her phone down and leaned forward to rest her head on the seat in front of her.
He added: "As the plane was preparing for takeoff, I wanted to alert her to sit upright."
However, before he could, the plane "jerked" and caused Manpreet's head to move towards him, which is when the retired army officer realized something was seriously wrong and called for the flight crew.
He told them that she "did not seem very well" as the crew checked the young woman's pulse and tried to "revive" her.
"The incident has been etched in my memory for life," he said. "It is very difficult to digest that a young girl with whom you were just interacting with has passed away in front of your eyes.
"Her innocent face still haunts me and I want her parents to know she loved them a lot.
"She left this world peacefully looking at their photograph."
He added: "My heart breaks for her family who would have been looking forward to seeing her after a long time."
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