Please Help Us Bring Brandt Home to His Daughter

SUMMARY / TL;DR (by David):

My fellow nerd and Facebook friend of 15 years has passed away, and I am raising money for his daughter and ex-wife (both disabled), so they can make one more trip from Maine to Massachusetts, and bring his ashes home.

-----

DAVID

(one of Brandt's Facebook friends):

I have known Brandt as a Facebook friend since around 2009. He was a fan of my music video parodies on YouTube, and I was a fan of his Photoshopped memes on Twitter and Facebook. He was a huge sci-fi and fantasy fan whose mashu-up memes ("Finding Nimoy", "Rockly Balboa Picture Show", etc) often got retweeted or responded to by various celebs from those movies and shows (including Carrie Fisher and William Shatner).

Several years ago, he fell ill and spent his final years in a nursing home, disappearing from the internet altogether. Late last year, I decided to track down his contact info via his friend and ex-wife, who got his permission to share it with me. Sadly, though he at least knew people were thinking of him, I never got around to contacting Brandt before he passed. To make amends, I want to thank him for all the friendship and entertainment he provided me, by helping his family raise the money they need to properly attain his ashes, and reunite him with his daughter once and for all.

Help me pay my respects to Brandt and his family. The internet is a sadly more quiet place without him.

-----

EMMAMAAGIC

(Brandt's friend, ex-wife):

Our family unexpectedly lost Brandt Kofton at only 57 years old. He died without life insurance, savings, or financial resources set aside for final expenses. Even though Brandt and I divorced many years ago, we remained close friends and co-parents for over 30 years. His death has devastated our family, especially our daughter Alex.

Our family lives with severe Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and multiple disabling medical conditions. I am disabled and largely homebound in rural Maine. Alex is also disabled from the same genetic connective tissue disease and, at only 27 years old, is already rapidly losing her ability to walk.

Brandt faced many hardships during his life, including serious health problems and progressive disability. Despite his own declining condition, he spent years helping care for his mother as she struggled with Alzheimer’s disease. Eventually, both of them became sick enough that they required nursing home care themselves.

Even through everything, Brandt remained deeply loved by his family. He was funny, intelligent, sentimental, and someone who stayed emotionally connected to the people he cared about. Alex is grieving the loss of a father who remained an important part of her life and emotional world despite many hardships over the years.

When we were finally notified of Brandt’s death, there was urgency to travel to Massachusetts immediately. I pushed my body far beyond its limits to make the trip with Alex so she could have closure and identify her father. Because of delays and confusion surrounding the process, we were forced to stay much longer than expected, and I had to borrow approximately $2,500 from a friend just to make that first trip possible.

Unfortunately, we now have to make a second trip.

Massachusetts has taken custody of Brandt’s remains because we could not afford immediate funeral expenses. He is being cremated, and his ashes will be returned to us — but they will not ship them. If we cannot get back to Massachusetts in time, his ashes may ultimately be disposed of.

Alex is heartbroken at the thought of losing the chance to bring her father home.

We are also desperately trying to retrieve Brandt’s electric wheelchair for Alex. As her mobility rapidly declines, this wheelchair could dramatically improve her quality of life and independence. Because of insurance barriers in Maine, she is unlikely to qualify for one herself anytime soon. Beyond the practical need, it also means something deeply emotional to her to have a part of her father helping her continue forward.

The funds raised will go toward:

• Renting a vehicle capable of making the trip safely

• Hotel stays so our bodies can physically tolerate the drive

• Gas and Massachusetts tolls

• Food during travel (our Maine EBT benefits do not work there)

• Transporting Brandt’s ashes and wheelchair home to Maine

• Repaying part of the emergency travel debt from the first trip

I somehow pulled off the first trip through sheer determination and borrowed money because my daughter needed closure. I do not know how to make this second trip happen without help.

If you can donate, even a single dollar truly matters. If you cannot donate, sharing this fundraiser could help us more than you know.

Thank you for helping us bring Brandt home to his daughter.

-----

DAVID:

Any money raised goes to my bank account, and I have the responsibility of transferring the total raised to Brandt's family at the end of the fundraiser. If you can't contribute, please share if you can.