November 17, 2009 - January 24, 2019
Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania
When some people looked at Logan, they saw what he couldn't do. He couldn't walk. He couldn't talk. He couldn't do many things other people take for granted every day. But when we looked at our beloved Logan, that's not what we saw, and that's not who he was.
When we — his family — looked at Logan, we saw what he could do. He could smile, and that beautiful smile would light up the room! He could laugh and feel happiness. He could love without condition. Not everyone has those abilities.
Some people take their good health for granted. They can speak but don't know how to tell others they love them. This was not a problem for Logan, who had a form of NBIA called INAD, or Infantile Neuroaxonal Dystrophy. He could express his love with a look, a smile or a squeeze. He could communicate his needs by crying or fussing because he knew his family would come and help him. Love isn't only shared through words. It is much deeper.
And that wasn't all Logan could do. He worked hard to overcome his challenges and inspired others to try harder. He helped teach us about our own strengths and gifts in this way. He also taught us how to be happy because he took joy in simple things, whether it was hanging out with his sister and brother, watching cartoons, listening to music or playing Miracle League baseball.
Logan was an example of perseverance and inner strength as he fought health battles and limitations that would crush many of us. He showed us what it means to be strong, because strength is not just being the biggest, the toughest or the fastest. Strength is found in one who keeps on going, keeps trying, day after day. Strength is understanding that sometimes the greatest success is found in the tiniest of victories. In this way, he was a hero, our Ironman.
Logan gave us so many gifts! Through his vulnerabilities he gave us the gift of insight and showed us things we might otherwise have missed. He helped nurture the soul of his family and showed us the beauty in taking care of a loved one, day after day, month after month. Because of him, we learned to say, "If you need help, I will help you. If you cannot talk, I will be your voice. If you cannot walk, I will carry you. I am here for you and I will stay with you through it all." We did that, like so many of our families do for their loved ones every day.
He gave us the gift of perspective. He reminded us that most of our problems are not really problems. He taught us to be grateful and to savor the sweet, beautiful moments we have every day, because, ultimately, life is fragile and someday all too soon, we must say goodbye.
He taught us about kindness and patience. To nurture someone so completely and to do it for so long, takes a dedication and depth of love that is hard to comprehend for those who haven't done it. It is truly loving without condition, and it is perhaps the most beautiful and pure example of love that exists. Logan made that kind of love possible.
Finally, Logan gave us the gift of beauty. His life wasn't easy, but he taught us that we can see past the difficulties and find the beauty, for there is always beauty. When you look out at the rain, you may see puddles and storm clouds and mud. You may see gray skies and dreariness. But you might also look up to the heavens and see the rainbow, the reward for enduring the storm.
Logan was our rainbow, our beautiful gift from above.
- You were so loved and are so missed, Daddy, Mommy, Zoe and Owen
