Parents Honor Son George With Joy-Spreading Foundation

When George Howley's temperature plummeted in the ICU, his panicked parents peppered doctors with questions. The little boy with big hair and an even bigger smile silenced the room with one loud, joyful yell that made everyone burst into laughter.

That was George. Despite dealing with seizures, cerebral palsy, and a rare genetic disorder called COXPD35, he radiated pure joy every single day of his three years.

George was born with combined oxidative phosphorylation deficiency-35, a condition so rare that only 16 cases had been documented as of last September. The disorder affected his body's energy production at the cellular level. He couldn't walk or talk, and he was completely tube-fed.

Shortly after George died last June, his parents Staci and Kevin Howley started the Be Cheechy Foundation in his honor. The nonprofit spreads joy through random acts of kindness, or as they call it, "cheeching" people.

"We always knew that this day would come and that we would want to do something to keep us and other people talking about George, carrying his light and joy forward," Staci said. Kevin added that George used his pain for a purpose, doing it all through joy and smiling.

Dr. Stephen Steiner, George's pediatric neurologist at Akron Children's, remembers telling the Howleys shortly after diagnosis to love George and he would have the happiest life. "From Dr. Steiner telling us, really, it was just a joy fest," Kevin said.

On March 21, the foundation held its first fundraising event at House Three Thirty in Akron to honor what would have been George's fourth birthday. The family calls March 30 "330 Day" in their area code.

Sunny's Take

Family friend Aubrey Cocklin, now a board member at Be Cheechy, recalls Staci's perspective after learning about George's diagnosis. "She said, 'Aubrey, he's never going to know anything but joy and love in his life,'" Cocklin remembered. "What an amazing outlook."

Dr. Lucyna Zawadzki, George's pediatric epileptologist, said his crazy hair and captivating smile made their days brighter every time they saw him. While George couldn't express feelings in typical ways, the love between him and his parents was unmistakable.

Kevin says that without saying a word, George moved everyone he met. Now that movement continues through acts of kindness in his memory, one "cheech" at a time.