On August 17th, my beloved brother Fernando was struck by a catastrophic brain aneurysm. His wife, Amy, performed CPR and remained at his side until paramedics arrived. Although our family was distraught, we also had reason for hope. Fernando was conscious, speaking, and moving. The doctors said his chances of full recovery were as good as could possibly be expected. However, during surgery, they discovered the extent of his condition. He had 19 aneurysms and suffered multiple strokes while they worked to correct them.

His brain didn’t survive the surgery. He is now on life support so that he can be an organ donor as a final act of generosity.

During his life, my brother was geeky, funny, unorthodox, and kind. He taught himself CAD and how to modify cars. He believed in aliens and would theorise about interstellar travel. He loved Monty Python and anime and science fiction. The love of his life was Amy, and the meaning of his life was raising his son, Ethan. With another surprise baby on the way, he was ecstatic. He often told us how excited he was to meet his new son.

He leaves behind his wife, their ten-year-old, and a baby due in September. As you can imagine, this sudden loss is overwhelming--both emotionally and financially. My brother had been working tirelessly to start his own business and had just been making headway, but because he was self-employed, had no end of life benefits and considerable debt after investing in his construction company. With Amy not currently working so she can care for their son and prepare for the baby, the family has no safety net.

This GoFundMe will help his wife Amy with:

• Medical bills for Fernando’s passing

• Medical bills for Amy’s childbirth

• Covering household needs while Amy recovers from delivery

• Helping Amy provide for her children

Any help you can offer--whether through a donation or by sharing this page--will make a profound difference. We thank you for reading through this and for considering helping our beloved brother’s family.