JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Dec. 27 (UPI) -- The 15-year-old son of former Jacksonville Jaguars lineman Paul Frase died of a rare disease afflicting only about 400 people in the world, the family said.
Joshua Frase died at the family's Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., home Friday, The (Jacksonville) Florida Times Union reported.
The boy suffered from myotubular myopathy, a disease that leaves children with low muscle mass, multiple respiratory issues and dependent on a ventilator, the newspaper said.
MTM claims most of its victims before their early school years and the family said it was a miracle Joshua lived as long as he did.
"Sleeping with him the last four years, I knew how much life was left," Paul Frase said. "With our faith, we believe it was his time. He's been losing strength and became more dependent on the breathing machine."
"We were fighting the clock," Frase said. "This time, we couldn't revive him."
Frase and his wife Alison created the Joshua Frase Foundation to raise funds for research into MTM.
The foundation has raised almost $13 million over the last 13 years.
