On August 25th, Andres Ramirez on his way home from a birthday trip for his wife Suanny. The couple had been visiting her family in Bolivia, and they were on their way back to the United States.

Then, Andres had a heart attack mid-flight, and the flight had to make an emergency landing in Columbia. He did not survive, and his body is still in Columbia. He was only 39 years old.

One of his siblings, Teo Ramirez, set up a GoFundMe fundraiser with the goal of raising $25,000 to bring Andres’ body back home to Oregon. In the fundrasier, Teo explains, “We are trying to work with funeral services in Colombia to return his body to Oregon. The estimated cost is around $25,000 to prepare and transport him home and hold a funeral here.”

As of August 29th, the fundraiser goal of $25,000. has been met, but the family would still appreciate prayers and sharing the fundraiser page. Teo wrote, “We humbly ask for your prayers, for you to share this GoFundMe, and, if you are able, for any financial support you can provide. Every prayer, share, and donation means so much to us as we walk this difficult road.”

Teo shared, “He leaves behind his wife, Suanny, his son AJ, his siblings, and parents who loved him deeply. This is not a grief we ever imagined facing so soon.”

The Ramirez family has already been struggling with health issues. Teo explained, “As you might know, my mom has suffered from severe heart failure since April, and my siblings and I have been her primary caregivers. We’re stretched thin and our focus is bringing my brother’s body back to Oregon.”

Tiffany Castro, Andres’ younger sister, spoke to KOIN about her brother and how her family is dealing with this tragedy. She shared, “We all miss him. We just can’t believe he’s gone.” She added, “I feel broken, our whole family, it’s hard, trying to keep it together the best that we can.”

Watch the video below to learn more about this sad story and to hear more of what Tiffany had to say.