Logan’s story: Growing and thriving thanks to expert care

Logan had trouble gaining weight as a baby and started seeing a specialist for stomach issues as a toddler.

“They thought it might be food allergies, but I just felt like something was off, like there was something brewing in the background,” says Logan’s mom, Lisa.

Around age 6, he had a C.diff infection that landed him in the hospital in New Orleans, 90 minutes from their Louisiana hometown. Lisa remembers the exact day: Aug. 15, because that was the day Logan was diagnosed with very early onset inflammatory bowel disease (VEOIBD).

“IBD can develop at any age, but it’s typically during the teenage years or your 40s and 50s,” says Bhaskar Gurram, M.D., Pediatric Gastroenterologist at Children’s Health and Associate Professor at UT Southwestern. “It’s very unusual in little kids, and it might not be recognized right away because symptoms mimic more common things like infections or food allergies — or kids may have completely different symptoms like growth problems or anemia.”

IBD is an autoimmune disease that happens with the immune system loses its ability to tell friend from foe. It begins attacking the normal gut bacteria — and the gut lining itself — as if they were dangerous invaders. This leads to chronic inflammation, which is the hallmark of the disease. It’s a lifelong disease with no cure. But with the right medicines people often experience long periods without symptoms, called “remission.”

It would be almost two years before Logan and his family heard that word.

“We had five hospital stays that year in New Orleans – some short, some long – from August to December,” Lisa says.

A second opinion

Logan’s local care team tried one medicine, then another and another. Nothing helped for very long, so Lisa went to an IBD moms Facebook group and asked for advice. Another mom recommended Dr. Gurram at the IBD program at Children’s Health.

“We decided driving 8 hours to Dallas was far, but doable,” Lisa says.

At that point, Logan was understandably antsy around doctors. He didn’t like swallowing pills and he panicked during blood draws. But he and Dr. Gurram became fast friends.

“We just loved him from the moment we met him and he made Logan very comfortable,” Lisa says.

Finding the right treatments

Children’s Health offered more treatment options, which Dr. Gurram says is due to the IBD team’s efforts, staff helping with insurance authorization for medicines.

“With younger patients, it's often harder to find the right treatment,” Dr. Gurram says. “There are many medicines out there and we can individualize treatment to some degree based on the type of IBD, extent and location of disease, some laboratory parameters. But there’s usually some amount of trial and error.”

Dr. Gurram determined Logan had a more specific type of IBD, ulcerative colitis. But still, after 18 months of trying different medicines, he wasn’t experiencing any major improvements. Logan remembers feeling scared and sad. He didn't have enough energy to play T-ball and football.

“We started wondering, ‘Where do we go from here?’ and if we’d run out of options,” Lisa says.

The answer, Dr. Gurram said, was no. He told Logan there was always another option and gave him space to ask questions.

“No matter how many questions we have, Dr. Gurram stays with us the whole time, doesn’t try to rush us and always talks to Logan first,” Lisa says.

And so they tried yet another medicine. Little by little, Logan started feeling better. His symptoms started to fade – and his appetite got bigger.

In the months that followed, Logan went from the fourth percentile on the growth chart to the 85th.

“Inflammation consumes a lot of energy. It's kind of like the body constantly fighting the flu,” Dr. Gurram says. “But when we get the inflammation under control, we see kids start growing.”

Getting to be a kid

Nearly two years after his diagnosis, Logan and his family heard the words they were hoping for: remission. Now at age 9, he’s loving soccer, riding his bike and going to the beach.

“I wish I didn’t have the disease, but I feel really good now,” Logan says.

He still sees Dr. Gurram every few months and his family now has a routine: They make the 8-hour drive to Dallas the day before his appointment, stopping at Buc-cee's for gummy worms. They always plan a fun activity, like going to the aquarium or Dave & Busters.

Logan has gone from being scared of doctor visits to being calm and ready for them. He has no problem swallowing pills and blood draws are much easier (now that he brings his wrestling action figures).

His parents are thankful they don’t have to drive all the way to Dallas for every part of Logan’s care. He can get his lab draws closer to home and they’ll send the results to Dr. Gurram’s team. But more than anything, they’re grateful for the care team that wouldn’t stop until they found the right treatment for Logan.

“Dr. Gurram never gave up until he found the right medicine for me,” Logan says. “He’s the best doctor ever.”

His family agrees.

“It doesn’t matter how far away we are from the team, they’re always there for us,” Lisa says. “Getting the right care means the world to us. And now we get to see Logan happy – and just getting to be a kid.”

Learn more

The IBD Program at Children’s Health is home to a team of experts working together to care for every aspect of your child’s health — from finding the right medicine, to mental health and transitioning into adult care. Learn more and find care.