Saturday event in Boardman to honor late cousin who had EB

BOARDMAN

Sisters Stephanie Halloran and Nicole Rosario say their late cousin Michael Covert is still with them.

“If something goes awry, it’s Michael,” Halloran said. “He messes with us still, all the time.”

The two have organized a fundraiser in Covert’s memory Saturday at the Lanai Lounge, 7631 South Ave.

“Growing up, it was always the three of us,” Rosario said.

Covert died June 15, 2013. He lived his entire life with epidermolysis bullosa, a connective tissue disorder that makes a person’s skin break off, scab or blister with very little effort.

The rare disease affects one in every 20,000 births. Halloran and Rosario said they’ve never met another person from the Valley with EB.

Later in life, Covert was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy as well.

Covert’s family gathers every year on his birthday, Sept. 30, which is the date of this year’s benefit, which begins at 7 p.m.

Read more about it and Covert in Friday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.