Please Help Francis Clair Beat Cancer!

Hello, we are Francis and Allie's friends, Hidei Formanek and Kelly Allen. On behalf of Francis and Allie, we are setting up this GoFundMe account to help them and their family navigate the many financial hurdles and challenges they are facing during his battle with chordoma cancer.

For those of you who have known Francis for a long time, you know that Fran is the kind of person you want on your team. He is a fierce fighter and will go the ends of the earth for those near and dear to him. When Francis met Allie nearly six years ago, her mother was battling breast cancer for many years. They would spend hours on the phone, while Allie was by her mother's bedside in CA. He would provide her strength and positive words all along the way. Allie's mom loved Fran, and she loved it when he would travel with Allie to visit during her illness.

I was lucky enough to be able to be part of the celebration of Francis and Allie's wedding in Kauai last May 2022. It was an incredible gathering of many friends and family from literally all over the world. That's just the kind of people they are. They show up for their people, and their people show up for them. In perfect Francis and Allie fashion, it was the best multi-day party you could ever imagine. Just a few weeks later they found out they were going to be parents!

During this time, and for many years prior, Fran had been having back pain. He had a back injury back in his 20s and had been going to the chiropractor to deal with the nagging injury. After a particularly painful evening last August 2022, Allie took Francis to the emergency room at Poudre Valley Hospital. An MRI confirmed a large tumor at the base of Francis' spine was the cause of his back pain. Francis and Allie have been in a fight for his life since the moment they received this news. They have been relentless in this fight! This type of cancer does not respond well to chemotherapy or radiation. Because the surgery to remove the tumor has many additional health challenges, including the loss of his ability to walk among many other things, they have been exploring other options. Over the last 10 months, Francis has tried many alternative healing methods, with the hope of shrinking the tumor.

Sweet baby Aspen Sarah-Ann Clair was born on February 20, 2023. She arrived four weeks early, and could not wait to come into the world! Allie delivered her in a surprise home delivery, where Francis was able to be an intimate part of bringing his child into the world! This time was intense and stressful, to say the least. I have never seen such strength and determination in two people. The love that Francis and Allie have for their daughter is off the charts. Aspen spent nearly three weeks in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). She is now thriving and has just doubled her birth weight!

The last month has been incredibly challenging. Francis has had an increase in pain and has needed multiple hospital stays to help manage the pain. Fran and Allie, along with his family made the trip to Houston, TX to meet with a specialist in chordoma cancers. It has been determined that Francis will need to have surgery to remove the tumor and begin his recovery and road to healing. This is a two-day surgery, and an entire 8-person medical team will be gathered. This will happen as soon as possible, and we are hoping for sometime in July.

Over the last months, many of you have asked how you can help. Now is the time when Francis, Allie, Aspen and their entire family need your help! The medical bills, urgent care and emergency room co-pays are adding up. There will be additional child care, travel, and home modifications to be done after Fran's surgery. At this moment, the most important thing is to get Francis on the road to recovery. All donations and support will go toward medical expenses. I will be handling the financial side (monetary donations) of this fundraiser on behalf of the family. Thank you so much for all your generosity, and support for Francis and this amazing family in their fight against cancer.

Hidei and Kelly