EXCLUSIVE
A father-of-two is desperately trying to get his brother’s ashes home after he was deemed too heavy to be cremated in his home state of Western Australia.
Allan Campbell, 38, a bouncer who lived in Perth, died on October 16 after his weight caused him to have breathing difficulties.
He weighed around 330kg at the time of his death and had been hospitalized twice in recent weeks after fainting as he struggled to breathe.
His brother, Ashtin Campbell, a 34-year-old poultry farmer living in Adelaide, said he was unaware of how seriously Allan’s health had deteriorated until he received a phone call saying his brother had died.
Ashtin has since been trying to have his brother cremated so he can take his ashes to Adelaide.
Cremation legislation varies by state, but in Western Australia the weight limit for cremation is 350kg, including the weight of the coffin.
Ashtin said the lightest chest he and his partner could find still weighed 71kg. Ashtin then explored the possibility of a funeral in WA, but that would cost him $11,000.
‘Allan was struggling with money and was between jobs. “I tried to get him to South Australia before he died but he couldn’t fly because of his breathing problems,” Ashtin told Daily Mail Australia.
Allan Campbell, 38, a bouncer who lived in Perth, died on October 16 after his weight caused him to breathe
Allan’s brother Ashtin (pictured left) is trying to organize his cremation in Adelaide after laws meant he couldn’t be in Western Australia
He said alternative transportation to take his brother to his home in South Africa when he was alive would have cost $4,000 – and that was not feasible.
“My brother was always a big kid and everyone knew him as Big Al,” Ashtin said.
‘We had talked about him getting healthier a few times and he changed the subject or got angry about his weight.
‘When he called me to tell me he was in hospital for the first time, he said nothing was wrong. And I didn’t know he weighed 330 kg.
‘I didn’t know this was a serious problem until one of the doctors called me and said he needed support. I tried to arrange for him to come to South Africa, but a few days after I spoke to him he died.”
Ashtin, who has two children of his own, said he had not seen his older brother in about five years and suspected Allan had gained an extra 100 pounds in that time.
Allan worked as a bouncer and weighed approximately 700 pounds (330 kg) at the time of his death
Allan’s family have tried to have his body cremated, but finding a large enough coffin has also proven difficult (stock image)
“A lot of family members tried to help him, but I hadn’t really seen him in the last few years,” he said.
‘I live here (in South Africa) and life gets in the way. Allan was in bad shape and was couch surfing.”
Ashtin gets help from his sister who lives in Queensland, while their father is dead and their mother is on benefits at home in New Zealand.
“Money is tight, we work to live and we have no savings,” he said.
‘The best scenario would be to take him home and have him cremated so that when we go back to New Zealand at a later date he can be taken home.
Ashtin says he only wants his brother’s ashes so he can always be with his family
“I just want the ashes so he can be with us.”
Allan has a 16-year-old daughter and is separated from her mother, who lives in Washington.
Ashtin is now confident he has found a way to bring his brother home, but it will cost around $6,000.
He has been able to find a funeral home in Adelaide where Allan will be cremated for $1,000, while repatriation of his body from Washington is expected to cost another $5,000.
There are no weight limits for cremations in South Africa, but there were concerns about whether Allan would physically fit in a coffin or incinerator.
Ashtin has one GoFundMe to help cover some of the costs associated with bringing his brother home.
Ashtin said he and other family members had tried to help Allan get healthier before he died