Fight for Frank - Do Not Freeze

Dan Via is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Stephen Via.

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HELP FRANK FIGHT!

Please help honor the wish of our beloved brother, Francis Xavier Via, to help others in need, especially those fighting Cystic Fibrosis! To anyone who may not know us, we are Frank’s brothers, Daniel and Steve. The initial donations will be going to cover the costs of Francis’s final expenses, which include the funeral and burial services, as well as his remaining debts from living and medical expenses. Unfortunately, CF patients don't have the luxury of being able to have life insurance like ordinary people. We thought it would be best to use the remaining donations to support Francis’s close CF friends and others in need like him.

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a chronic and genetic disease where the lungs and digestive system are damaged. The lungs are covered by thick, sticky mucus that hardens and breaks off into pieces, creating holes in the lungs. The disease can cause a lifetime of suffering, and is still without a cure. Francis was determined and certainly put forth a great effort toward finding a cure. Most people who knew him would agree that he was a genius.

Work of Daniel for Frank. Sixty Five Roses was used to teach young children with CF how to pronounce it.

With all of the research about CF that Francis has done over the years, he had hopes of becoming a doctor. He knew himself better than any doctor ever could. He was part of a close knit online community for people with Cystic Fibrosis, where he was well known for always trying to help others overcome this disease and the hardships that come with it.

Francis with his friend Alexis at a friend's wedding.

Francis has helped so many people around the world in many different ways, in every way – friends and families with Cystic Fibrosis especially – have been touched by him. They see the many accomplishments and feel the differences he has made in this world. He loved, and is loved by many – because of that we know that he knew the value of his life. That is the reason he never stopped fighting or gave up hope.

Gym progress!

Francis was a huge car enthusiast, and that's how he met his best friend of 10 years, Travis Lanz. They would work on cars together from sunrise to sundown for several years. To this day, they remain closer than ever in his loving memory. Francis also became interested in photography over the past two years, seeking opportunities to capture life’s beautiful and precious moments.

Frank sits in place of the engine of his Pontaic Grand Prix.

Frank photographing Starry Night at MoMA in NYC, 2014.

Frank with photography friends at the Top of the Tower in Philadelphia, 2015.

In recent months, being in and out of the hospital, he fought harder than ever. On Monday, January 18th, he had fallen and stopped breathing due to a collapsed lung that caused a heart attack. He was stabilized at The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in a coma, where his doctor’s did everything that they could to save his life. He received copious amounts of love from friends and family in his eleventh hour on this magnificent earth before passing away free of pain Wednesday evening on January 20th, 2016.

#DONOTFREEZE

WE WILL NOT FREEZE. We will not stop. We will not give up hope. We will keep going – we will keep fighting – for him. We will not freeze.

Although we didn’t expect Francis to leave us this soon, he always showed us how unpredictable life is. Throughout our lives, we strive to be the best person that we can be and to accomplish all that we’ve set out to – that is exactly what he did. We hope that we were able to give him as much of a normal life as we thought we could. May he rest peacefully and breathe easy now. He will always be a part of us forever. Our love for you is endless, Francis.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT!

Francis (left) at age 4 and Daniel (right) at 18 months.

Family vaction in Ocean City, MD. From left: Frank, John (cousin), Dan, Steve. August 2011.

A few of Francis's photos are below. Many more can be viewed on his Instagram: frank_saviero