Monday, May 31 2021 was a day of celebration in the Bartle household as Logan Trevor Bartle turned 3 years of age.
Celebrations began a couple of days prior to that though when the occasion was marked by a party compliments of Venom Pit Snake Park at their venue while the cupcakes were donated by Queen Bee Novelty Cakes.
The birthday boy had a grand time and even managed to eat his cupcake despite being unable to hold it himself.
Due to cerebral palsy-related muscle problems, Logan has a tight grip which means he experiences difficulty when opening and closing his hands though long-term therapy will go a long way to help ease this.
Logan is a happy little boy with a loving mom, Hayley Bartle, who sees to his every need, who nurtures him and would give him the world if she could.
Hayley rightly refers to Logan as her miracle boy as he has already overcome so much in the first 36 months of his young life.
The GO! & Express recently asked Hayley to provide insight into Logan’s daily life which is shared below.
The Bartle household’s day usually starts at 5.30am when she gets as much as possible done before Logan awakens.
If all goes to plan, she gives Logan his morning medication and gets him ready to take him to Canaan Care Centre for the day.
He has breakfast and lunch at the centre which is of great help as it takes a long while to feed him and would be challenging to do in the morning rush.
Once home, his mom prepares supper which tends to consist of soft food such as vegetables and other easily digestible foodstuffs as cerebral palsy sufferers can experience choking, digestive and stomach issues.
“Meal time is quite a process as I try to let him experience a bit of everything as well,” says Hayley.
“Most times he is unable to hold anything I put in his hand and he also struggles to put things to his mouth. When he does manage to hold something, he will usually suck on it. However, there is still the risk of him biting off a piece and choking which has happened on a few scary occasions.”
After supper, his mom will spend time playing with him and give him exercises prior to bathing him and administering his bedtime medication at 8pm.
“It’s a struggle to get him to sleep, however, attending Canaan Care Centre does tire him out a bit so weekdays are easier than weekends,” continued Hayley.
“He fights sleep and any slight movement or noise wakes him. I have learned that holding him in a specific position and rocking him does the trick.”
Since the launch of the initial Logan’s Smile ZA, Hayley has played a valuable role in creating awareness about cerebral palsy as well as helping to bring Canaan Care Centre to the attention of the East London community.
She is also actively involved in all aspects of her son’s life including being a participant of the Fit for Logan challenge for which she has lost 6 kg’s.
The other members of the Fit for Logan team are grateful to Hayley for allowing them to join her family’s journey as it has resulted in them being able to be an effective and united force in improving their lifestyles simultaneously creating awareness about a misunderstood condition.
Should you wish to contribute financially towards the Fit for Logan challenge, you are encouraged to contact any of the participants listed below. Alternatively, click on the pledge link here https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe9EdVhIMF-Rj7pXSELYPvfbldsFYk1xaHKsTAviBTupI-IAg/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0
- Hayley Bartle – 060-895-2306 | hayleybartle22@gmail.com
- Cheryl Larsen – cheryll@goexpress.co.za
- Wendy Kretschmann – 072-738-2540 | wendyk@goexpress.co.za
- Tubs Lingham 072-538-7968
- Caron Troskie 081-508-4874 | caron@linkfm.co.za
The GO! & Express is the sole print media sponsor of the Fit for Logan Challenge.
