In honour of George Andrew Kallas

On July 18th, 2020, we welcomed the birth of our precious son George Andrew Kallas. As first-time parents, it was a moment we will treasure forever, filled with joy, love and excitement. Georgie was a happy, healthy, beautiful little boy, always eager to explore and learn. His infectious laughter and innocent smile brought love and joy to all of our lives.

On May 17, 2022, our lives changed forever. At 22 months old, Georgie passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in his sleep. The pain and grief our family feels each and every day without him is indescribable. Our hearts are broken and we miss him more than words will ever express. Whether you are lucky enough to have spent time with Georgie, or loved him through the photos and videos we shared, the memory of his life and love will remain imprinted on our hearts forever.

As the one-year milestone approaches, we have struggled how to best honour our son in a way that feels authentic and true. Over the next while we plan to establish the George Andrew Kallas Foundation which will help raise funds and awareness in support of the SUDC (Sudden Unexplained Death in Children) Foundation based in New Jersey. In addition, our foundation will also focus on developing a Triage Resource & Support Guide for families affected by SUDC in British Columbia, a tool we now know is missing from our health care offerings. In the early days of our loss we struggled immensely to find the appropriate support and much-needed medical and psychological resources our family needed and still lean on today. This is something no family should have to manage after such a loss.

In the meantime, on the 17th of this month, we will be making a donation directly to the SUDC Foundation in Georgie's name. Friends and family have often asked how they can get involved. In the event you would like to add to our donation we invite you to do so here. We also want to emphasize that there is no pressure or expectation to do so, and that there will be opportunities to contribute to the George Andrew Kallas Foundation in the future. Above all else, our family is grateful for all of the love, kindness, cards, deliveries and prayers we have received this past year.

To our beloved son Georgie, we love you always and forever.

Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC) is a category of death in children between the ages of 1 and 18 years old that remains unexplained. At this time there is no known cause for SUDC, how to predict it or how to prevent it. To learn more about SUDC or to make further donations, please visit https://www.sudc.org

*As we have not yet set up our foundation, this will be considered a personal donation and unfortunately, a tax receipt will not be provided.