A beloved father died during a flight back home to Oregon from Bolivia, where he had been celebrating his and his wife’s birthdays, according to his family.
Andres Castro, 39, suffered a fatal heart attack mid-flight as he and his wife headed home from their South American vacation on Monday.
According to his brother, Teo Ramirez, Castro suffered a medical emergency and ‘suddenly stopped breathing’.
The plane made an emergency landing in Colombia where Castro was rushed to hospital.
But ‘it was too late’ to save the 39-year-old, his family said.
It is unclear if Castro suffered from any underlying health condition.
Now, his heartbroken family is trying to raise money to get his body repatriated to the US, Ramirez said on a GoFundMe page.
‘We are trying to work with funeral services in Colombia to return his body to Oregon,’ Ramirez wrote.
‘The estimated cost is around $25,000 to prepare and transport him home and hold a funeral here.’
Andres Castro, 39, died Monday after suffering a fatal heart attack on a flight back to Oregon from Bolivia
Castro pictured in South America with his wife Suannay where they were celebrating their birthdays
Castro leaves behind his wife Suannay, their son AJ, his parents and his siblings, according to his brother.
‘This is not a grief we ever imagined facing so soon,’ Ramirez said, adding that for the past couple of months he and his siblings have been focused on helping their sick mother.
‘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,’ Ramirez detailed.
Castro’s sister, Tiffany Castro, also described the immense grief their family is going through following his sudden death.
‘We all miss him. We just can’t believe he’s gone,’ she told KOIN 6 News.
‘I feel broken, our whole family, it’s hard, trying to keep it together the best that we can.’
Despite their 10-year age difference, Tiffany said she and her late brother were extremely close.
‘Every time we were together he was just so funny,’ she recalled.
He leaves behind his family members, including several siblings, his wife and their son AJ (pictured with his late dad)
Tiffany went on to describe the process of getting Castro’s body back to the US.
‘It’s a process with the embassy and my family. We’re all just trying to work together to figure it out,’ she said.
‘It’s just hard to believe that he’s not here. That’s all.’
Castro’s other sister, Anna Castro, posted a heartbreaking tribute about her brother on Monday.
Alongside several family images, Anna said: ‘I can’t believe my family have [sic] to go though another loss in our family today my older brother Andres passed away while coming back to the United States from Bolivia it still don’t feel real.
‘Please keep our family in your prayers and his beautiful wife Suanny and her family. We love you Cuby and we are doing everything we can to bring to [sic] back home to the US from Columbia. RIP big brother.’
Now, Castro’s family are fighting to get his body back to the US so they can hold a funeral for him
State Senator Ron Wyden told the local outlet he is working with the family to help them navigate the process of bringing Castro’s body home.
As of Tuesday, Ramirez said the family is still working on getting his brother back to Oregon and confirmed Wyden’s help.
‘Today we began working with Senator Ron Wyden’s office, and we are hopeful their assistance will help move things forward,’ he wrote.
‘In the meantime, we have started looking at funeral services in Portland and Gresham, and we will keep you all updated as soon as arrangements are finalized.’
As of Wednesday afternoon, the GoFundMe had raised nearly $14,000.
