Help Us Keep Our Son’s CNA This Summer

Hi everyone,

We’re reaching out with a heartfelt and vital request to support our 13-year-old son, Logen, this summer. He’s an incredible kid with unique needs and extraordinary resilience. As you’ll read below, he has faced tremendous challenges over the last year and through it all he has kept his spirits up. We feel tremendous gratitude to have him with us, and we feel extremely fortunate to have a dedicated Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), provided by the school, who’s become an essential part of Logen’s daily care and well-being, and most importantly that makes him feel at ease. This is where you come in. Please read our story, and if you can, help us raise 4,000 USD, to help us pay for Logen’s CNA services this summer. Logen and our entire family will be immensely grateful for your support!

Why we need your support

In October of last year, Logen came home from school with a headache and chills. Within a few hours, he could no longer speak and would only count. We thought maybe he was dehydrated.

We brought him to the local emergency room from where he was soon transferred to CT Children's. Shortly after arriving, he went into cardiogenic shock, had an ischemic stroke, and arrested. The medical team brought him back and did an emergency craniotomy to relieve the pressure in his head.

Logen’s brain had pushed back in his skull causing cerebral edema, pulmonary edema, papillary edema, and heart failure. He couldn't regulate his blood pressure, body temperature, or heart rate. Needless to say, this time was really daunting for all of us.

After a week, Logen was taken off the vent. His breathing was very inconsistent and gurgly. A few days later, he went into respiratory failure and developed pneumonia, which caused him to be placed back on the vent for another week.

Once he came out of that intubation, he was very agitated, unsettled. We were all perplexed, the doctors still had no idea what was going on with him, despite having tested Logen for everything they could imagine. We had him transferred to Boston Children's.

There he started to improve almost immediately but again had issues breathing and moving air properly through his body. Unfortunately, his situation worsened, and Logen had to be placed back on the ventilator for a third time. This time he was determined to stay awake, proof of his courage. The doctors, aware of his determination and tolerance of the vent, decided to sedate him lightly. This was a turning point for him, and all of us, because it enabled him to start rehabilitation!

Through all this Logen’s body became very weak. He dropped from 85 to 52 lbs. and was medically considered a flaccid quadriplegic. It was at this time, that we finally received a diagnosis at Boston Children's. It was determined all of Logen's suffering was due to contracting a common cold (enterovirus) shortly after having COVID-19. That had been the first time Logen actually tested positive for COVID-19. His body just couldn't handle back-to-back viruses and he developed rhombencephalitis or encephalitis of the hind brain (cerebellum and brain stem).

After coming off the vent for the third time, Logen was also diagnosed with severe central sleep apnea and began using a BiPAP. Additionally, he has vocal fold paralysis and swallowing difficulties, requiring thickened liquids to prevent aspiration. Logen continued displaying incredible determination and perseverance. He started gaining weight and strength which permitted his transfer to Spaulding then home for Christmas!

In January of this year, we started noticing he was only taking 3–5 loud breaths per minute. We rushed him to the hospital, where he was re-admitted and re-evaluated. This time he was diagnosed with daytime central apnea, requiring oxygen during the day.

During all of the testing it was determined that Logen carries a genetic mutation BMPR2 that puts him at risk for pulmonary hypertension. He also has a rare congenital anomaly of his left coronary artery. All of this will require close cardiac montioring.

Logen’s care requires constant, specialized attention, particularly from a CNA who is familiar with his unique needs, when he is not being supervised by a family member. Since returning to school in April, the school-provided CNA has become an irreplaceable part of his routine. Although it took Logen some time to trust her, she has now become our anchor. She provides the emotional stability and understanding he so desperately needs, when we are at work. Logen’s challenges with memory and medical PTSD mean that unfamiliar faces or environments can cause him severe distress, sometimes leading to dangerous drops in his oxygen levels, which can plummet into the 70s. This care is not just a convenience—it is a lifeline for Logen’s safety and well-being.

His insurance will cover a new CNA but not the one he has through the school. This is because she is employeed through an agency. We have estimated that it will cost us about $4000 to pay her out of pocket over the summer. This is not an expense we were anticipating and are looking for your support. Without it, we face significant challenges maintaining his care and development over the summer.

How You Can Help:

We’re aiming to raise $4000 to cover CNA hours from July through August. Every donation—big or small—will go directly toward ensuring Logen has the care he needs and deserves.

If you’re unable to donate, sharing this campaign with your network would mean the world to us.

Thank you for your kindness, support, and love.

With gratitude,

Melissa McGovern and Family