Feb 3, 2015 3 min read

David Fabus said he is overwhelmed with support from strangers after his 8-year-old son, Joey, died from an inoperable brain tumor Jan. 21.

“People I’ve never met, from Peters, from Mt. Lebanon, they’re coming up to me and offering support. It’s so amazing,” said the Bethel Park father of four. Now the family is starting the Joey Fabus Childhood Cancer Foundation to raise awareness of the type of cancer that struck the boy.

Fabus said he owes much to friends Lou Pietosi and Patti Opferman, both of whom organized fundraisers and parties for Joey and his family.

“Lou hosted a Jam for Joey in Dormont over the summer. He’s been our guy to get the word out about everything,” Fabus said.

Pietosi said he’s known Fabus for nearly 40 years, and Joey extended that friendship.

“From the minute I met Joey at our band rehearsal, he really clicked with me. I can’t even describe what it was. To see that little boy and know what he and his family were going to go through, I felt I needed to do everything I could. The family said early on they wanted to get Joey’s message out about Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, the type of tumor he had on his brain. I mean, it’s a death sentence right now. There’s no hope at this point, and I’m not OK with that. I’m determined to get word out daily,” Pietosi said.

Pietosi and Opferman were primary organizers of a promotion Monday, when all Section 4-AAAA girls high school basketball teams hosted events at their games.

“They had over 700 T-shirts,” Fabus said.

“From the minute we set up at the Bethel Park game, people were buying shirts,” Pietosi said.

Early on, fundraising was set up through gofundme.com to raise money for hospital bills and Joey’s untimely funeral. Nearly 354 people donated $24,450 over 17 days. Now, the family wants to direct attention to the Joey Fabus Childhood Cancer Foundation, which has a Facebook page of the same name. The site for foundation donations is www.gofundme.com/JoeyFabusFdn. About 90 people have raised nearly $5,000 in 11 days.

“No website yet, but we’re working on it. We want people to go there in the meantime,” Fabus said.

Pietosi said he’ll keep up his PR job for the family as well. “I’ve added 250 friends on Facebook in the past week or so. I had to give up my rule that I had to know you,” he said.

“It’s not over,” Pietosi continued. “There will be another band jam, a 5K planned in the fall, a bike run through the Yugoslav Club in Bethel Park. Joey will not be forgotten and this disease is not going to win.”