"Of Course This Will Bring Me Joy"

"Logan is the sweetest, most affectionate 9 year old boy I’ve ever known!  He loves to ride his bike, play basketball, swim, and play Minecraft (a LOT of Minecraft).  Unfortunately, Logan was born addicted to drugs and was neglected for the first few months of his life, during the worst of the withdrawal symptoms.  We came into Logan’s life when he was 4 1/2 months old and have since adopted him and his five siblings. Logan has been diagnosed with several mental and emotional health disorders as well as a severely underdeveloped brain.

Logan’s disorders affect every aspect of his life.  Everything that we take for granted is a challenge for Logan; school, family life, friends, sports, personal hygiene, games, everything.  About a year ago Logan’s symptoms increased dramatically and have continued to worsen. There are specialists, doctors and therapists trying to work with him, but ultimately, we’re not sure why his condition has worsened.  Understandably, it has been incredibly difficult. During a recent assessment of his brain we discovered that Logan’s ability to react to his surroundings is at the level of young toddler. Everything is overwhelming and frustrating and his brain lacks the capacity to process all the stimulation coming in.  Essentially, he is a 9 year old with the emotional capacity of a child 1/3 his age.

At this point Logan spends most of his time at home, as social and public situations are too overwhelming for him right now.  Although we have a good-sized home and yard, it’s his entire world most days and can tend to feel small. As a result, we are trying to make modifications to our home to give him variety of play while letting him get out all that energy and help with sensory issues.  We have an indoor swing but also have building toys for him to create. The trick is to have moments of high energy balanced with moments of quiet play in order for him to learn self-regulation.
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One thing we would love to build for Logan is an indoor climbing wall.  This would provide an outlet for the energy while promoting mind-body coordination and concentration.  We have the location picked out (right outside his room) and a plan for construction, but funding for the materials would be helpful.  We truly appreciate the time and consideration you’ve given to our son and are so thankful for the help your amazing organization is offering to enrich his life." -Angela Clonts (Logan's Mom)

As Logan was reading a card we wrote him that expressed that we hoped what we were doing for him would bring him joy, Logan exclaimed, " Well of course this will bring me joy!!!" Moments like these are why I do what I do. 

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