Take a 500gr block of butter and another one of 250gr. Hold them in one hand and see how light they feel.
That is roughly how much Logan Bartle weighed when he was born at 27 weeks due to pre-eclampsia, which is a pregnancy-specific complication distinguished by the onset of high blood pressure and signs of damage to another organ system.
He was given a 5% chance of survival, a concern that was reinforced when his lung collapsed at the age of just three days.
As a result of the lung collapse, Logan had to be resuscitated for an extended period of time and was taken to ICU where he was put on vital life support for 2 and a half months. This resulted in him developing spastic cerebral palsy of which he was diagnosed before his first birthday. He has also recently started to have seizures.
This could have been a lonely journey for his mom, Hayley Bartle, and their family. However, after she posted a comment and photo on Facebook of Logan in a homemade walking apparatus, family friend and local businessman Tubs Lingham contacted her.
Lingham and Denver Bright from the Local Yokel Project went on to establish Logan’s Smile in partnership with its community of local businesses.
Matthew and Marion Peake, of Helping Those In Need (HTIN), played a vital role in launching the campaign with their first Facebook post being done on September 19th, 2020.
Since the launch of Logan’s Smile, Bolton & Associates have provided free assessments where it was established that 2-year old Bartle requires specialised equipment in order to improve his quality of life.
The total cost of the equipment, which includes reverse walker, two ankle foot orthosis splints, SWASH Pelvic band, leg bars and tight cuffs, exceeds R55,000.
“One of the biggest challenges Logan currently faces is not being able to move independently because he can’t stand unaided,” Hayley said.
Bartle is on Medical Aid but due to various discrepancies currently under investigation, his medical fees exceed R1 million. Though the intention of the campaign is to raise much-needed funds for Logan’s situation and continuous treatments, it also wants to highlight cerebral palsy.
“We want to raise awareness about the condition because a lot of people don’t know anything about it,” Bartle said.
Generally speaking, cerebral palsy is a group of neurological disorders that result from abnormal development or damage of the brain during birth or early development. However, there are exceptions to the rule, of which Logan is one.
“Logan’s circumstances are different from most other cerebral palsy sufferers in that his brain functions fine – he is able to learn things, but his body doesn’t co-ordinate well with his brain,” Bartle said.
Representing the family and the Logan’s Smile initiative, Lingham extends thanks and appreciation to the East London community for personal donations, some of which have been anonymous, as well as the multitude of businesses that have provided once-off or are
providing on-going support.
The following businesses, some of whom are Local Yokel Project members, have been of great benefit to Logan’s Smile – Pot O’Curry, Nate’s Car Sales, Two Brothers Pizza, The Bridge Sports Bar, Shape-up Gym, Custom Clocks & Sandblasting, Legacy Properties, Morgan’s Bay Hotel, ADZ Electrical and Lighting, Studio Bay, Davidson’s Distributors, Ideal Meats, Joan of Arc, 57 On Pearce, Touchless Gadget, The Venom Pit Snake Park, Queen Bee Novelty Cakes, M4 Couriers, Nomads Bowling Club, EWB Electrical Wholesales Butterworth, The Vocal Local, Gravity Indoor Trampoline Park, Bolton & Associates.
To be a part of this initiative or for more information you can visit the Logan’s Smile Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/LogansSmileZA
You can also contribute by purchasing specific in-store items, the funds of which all go to Logan Smiles. One of these is the Touch-less gadget which is ideal in these COVID-19 times for use on items that others prior to you may have touched such as ATM’s and lift buttons.
Direct donations can be made to the following account
Logan Trevor Bartle
First National Bank
Account Number: 628 220 75281
Branch Code: 250655
Deposit Ref: Your cellphone number
