"Thank you to the community for your generosity on behalf of @Riverton_High teacher Mac Frischknecht, who died of a heartbreaking illness. He touched many lives and will be missed," Utah Representative Mia Love wrote in a tweet.
Surrounded by family, Mac Frischknecht took his last breath Jan. 30 after a quick, but brutal, battle with brain disease.
Just before Christmas, the popular Riverton High math teacher was diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, a rare, degenerative and often fatal brain disorder.
Affecting about one person in every million, CJD usually runs a rapid course. An infected individual will experience failing memory, behavioral changes and eventually complete mental deterioration.
For the father of five, it lasted a little over a month.
Thank you to the community for your generosity on behalf of @Riverton_High teacher Mac Frischknecht, who died of a heartbreaking illness. He touched many lives and will be missed.https://t.co/JOXj02ALN1 — Rep. Mia Love (@RepMiaLove) February 8, 2018