LOGAN'S PONY CLUB
FOR CHILDREN WITH CEREBRAL PALSY Contact Logan
I WENT FROM VICTIM TO CRUSADER
Having a child like Tracy Latimer is a gut-wrenching experience that many Canadian families must cope with every day of their lives. My son, Logan, would have "severe" cerebral palsy if measured by Robert Latimer's self-serving view. At the time of Logan's birth and resuscitation, the health professionals suggested that I play God and discontinue their efforts to keep him alive.
Faced with the prospect of receiving a "life sentence" to provide the care necessary for Logan's survival, it would have been easy for me to pull the plug. When I got to his bedside that day to gaze into his beautiful blue eyes, perhaps for the last time, something profound happened to me. Perhaps a higher authority intervened to change me from being a victim to a crusader for my boy. I knew in my heart that I needed to put my son first. It is my duty to leave no stone unturned that would enhance his quality of life and allow him to be whatever he aspires to.
Though physically imprisoned by cerebral palsy, he is a free spirit able to laugh and cry like any other child. He expresses himself through art and technology. His imagination and his sense of humour never cease to amaze those he meets. I could have denied his continued survival and missed the joy and wonder he brings to our family and friends.
As a society, we should be obliged to make every second count for kids like Tracy and Logan.
-- Mark-Alan Whittle, Hamilton.