How did Ron DeSantis' sister Christina die? 30-yr-old's death shortly before marriage rocked family
MIAMI, FLORIDA: Republican Ron DeSantis, 44, won the election on November 8, 2022 to serve his second term as the Florida Governor. DeSantis is the youngest governor in the country and has been Governor since 2018. But even after the triumph, there is a lingering sadness over the tragic death of his sister Christina. Christina DeSantis died on May 12, 2015 in London when she was just 30. The family have not spoken about the full circumstances surrounding her death but a death certificate obtained by the Daily Mail revealed that she died primarily from pulmonary thromboembolism. An ovarian borderline mucinous tumor, where abnormal cells form in the tissue covering the ovary, was cited as the secondary cause.
Christina died clutching the hand of her British fiancé Stephan Pasiewicz just as they were preparing to spend their lives together. Christina was a financial consultant for KPMG and was living in London. Her death at The Royal London Hospital in the Whitechapel area of east London was a rude shock to the DeSantis family.
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DeSantis's devastated mother Karen started a GoFundMe page after Christina died to raise money for a scholarship at the Florida State University, where she studied. Christina graduated from Dunedin High School in 2003 and received her Bachelor of Science degree in Summa Cum Laude in 2007 from Florida State. Three years later, she earned her Master of Science from the same university.
"Words cannot begin to describe our sadness by the sudden and unexpected loss of our beloved Christina," her mother wrote on the GoFundMe page. "It is hard to fathom how someone who was so happy and full of life could suddenly be taken from us. Christina was educated, driven and very successful in her chosen field. She made her family and friends extremely proud."
"We are so blessed that she found her true love, Stephan, more than a year ago. They were engaged and set to be married soon. He was truly everything to her and her to him. Stephan was with her until the very end, holding her hand as she passed in peace. While we may never comprehend why this happened, we can take peace in knowing that she was truly in love, happy and excited for the next chapter in her life," the mother added.
Nearly 160 donations were made totaling $16,320, but falling short of the $25,000 target.
DeSantis paid an emotional Facebook tribute at the time. "Casey and I are deeply saddened by the death of our beloved Christina," he wrote. "It is hard to fathom how someone who was so happy and full of life could suddenly be taken from us." However, DeSantis has never spoken about it publicly or revealed how she died, in direct contrast to the openness with which he has spoken about his wife Casey's battle with breast cancer. Christina's sister-in-law, former TV journalist Casey DeSantis, 42, was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2021. Revealing the news, DeSantis wrote in an official statement, "I am saddened to report that Florida's esteemed First Lady has been diagnosed with breast cancer."
DeSantis may address his sister's untimely death in his autobiography, 'The Courage to be Free', which is due to be released on February 28.
