Logan was 9 years old, enjoying a normal, happy-go-lucky suburban childhood when he began randomly experiencing occasional bouts of what seemed like digestive system issues. Over a period of 4 months, his symptoms became increasingly persistent, and he was seen by his primary care doctor and a pediatric gastroenterologist. All of his lab results came back within the normal range. After several consecutive days of Logan being unable to keep any food or beverage down and complaints of heartburn, Logan’s parents took him to the ER, thinking he was severely dehydrated and in need of IV fluids. After hearing Logan’s health history, listening to Logan’s description of his symptoms, and performing a neurological examination (which Logan passed without any trouble!), a CT scan of Logan’s stomach confirmed that Logan was…severely constipated. As his mom read over the discharge paperwork, Logan hopped off the gurney and tripped. A very attentive nurse witnessed this and insisted that he needed more scans. The next CT revealed a mass the size of a large egg in the back of Logan’s brain.
Instead of going home that night, the Children’s National Hospital transport team took him by ambulance to Washington, D.C. Within 12 hours of arriving at Children’s, Logan was in surgery to have a drain placed to reduce the pressure of the fluid that was building in his head. Less than 36 hours after that, Logan was in surgery to have the growth removed. The pathology report confirmed what the doctors at Children’s had suspected: an aggressive, grade 4 malignant brain tumor called medulloblastoma.
Luckily, the neurosurgery team was able to remove the significant majority of the tumor, intentionally leaving a thin sliver on the brainstem in hopes that Logan’s brain function would be minimally impacted by the operation. The team expected that radiation and chemotherapy would be able to destroy the remaining piece of tumor. After one month of recovery, Logan began a course of 30 sessions of proton radiation to his entire brain and spine delivered over six weeks. He was given another break in treatment to recover from the effects of radiation before he had a port placed in his chest through which he would receive four monthly cycles worth of high dose intravenous chemotherapy medications. Each cycle would require 5-6 days of hospitalization during which the chemo was delivered and Logan was closely monitored. In between hospital stays, Logan required multiple blood transfusions and weekly check-ins with the neuro-oncology team. Just before his 10th birthday, Logan had his end of protocol scan and his doctors shared the amazing news that there was no evidence of disease.
Despite this encouraging outcome, Logan’s particular subtype of medulloblastoma is known to be particularly aggressive and is considered highest risk for relapse. Accordingly, the doctors suggested that Logan follow an additional low-dose oral chemotherapy protocol. These drugs once again wiped out Logan’s immune system and required that Logan receive additional blood product transfusions in order for him to recover from the harsh treatments he had endured. In January of 2021, 18 months after his symptoms first began, Logan took his final dose of chemo!
After treatment was finished, Logan was monitored regularly by the neuro-oncology team while also being under the care of several specialists who oversee the management of the long-term and irreversible side effects of the radiation and chemotherapy treatments. After reviewing the results of his August 2026 MRI, Logan’s neuro-oncology team declared him a “Survivor!”
While spending significant amounts of time in the various Children’s National Hospital facilities, Logan made many keen observations about the lesser-considered aspects of the pediatric cancer treatment process. He always appreciated the offers of toys and snacks from the hospital’s treats and treasures cart. Though he often wasn’t up for partaking, he loved to see the excitement of a younger patient picking out a new toy after enduring a grueling transfusion, and he noticed that most caregivers were so focused on their children, they hadn’t brought anything for themselves to eat during appointments that lasted several hours. He also recognized that at nearly every visit, there were announcements made seeking donors due to shortages in the blood bank supply. Logan was incredibly fortunate to have a local support system who donated blood product to him regularly, but he also remembers his first unexpected hospitalization that occurred before any collections had been given. Due to the extremely low supply, blood product had to be rationed, which meant that patients were not getting as much as the doctors ordered and children had to stay extra nights in the hospital to receive smaller quantities over the course of additional days rather than getting what was needed in one transfusion. These observations were the driving forces behind Logan establishing La Vida Logan.
Logan is now 15 years old and is more determined than ever to live a life that includes improving the experience for pediatric cancer patients and their families.