Now, Loghan doesn’t just walk. She dances in the Miracle Network Dance Marathon, jumps around trampoline parks and wanders through her neighborhood hunting for ant hills. Graduating from physical therapy was a major milestone, but Loghan’s experience with Sanford Children’s isn’t over. She still attends weekly occupational and speech therapy at Sanford Pediatric Therapy Services. There, her connections with her therapists, Annika Overgaard, OTD, and Ellison Fedders, SLP, make the hard work seem like fun. During her appointments, Loghan works on language skills and life skills, like zipping up her coat. Right now, Loghan uses a mixture of her voice and sign language to communicate. “She loves them,” says Breanna. “She sees Ellie and Annika back- to-back. And then she crashes.”
Breanna has big dreams for Loghan, and they are working hard as a family to help them all come true. “Every time she meets a goal in one of her therapies, we do something fun to celebrate,” says Breanna. “And then we start working toward something new.”
When Breanna Morgan’s daughter, Loghan, was 4 months old, she needed surgery to address a congenital diaphragmatic hernia. It’s a serious condition that, if left untreated, can cause crowding in the chest cavity and underdeveloped lungs. During a follow up appointment, Loghan’s gastrointestinal doctor pointed out a few signs of a genetic disorder and recommended genetic testing. “We hadn’t even thought about that,” says Breanna. Testing at Sanford Imagenetics revealed that Loghan had RERE syndrome, and she was one of just 30 people worldwide to be diagnosed with the condition.
RERE syndrome is characterized by a variety of neurodevelopmental concerns that can affect the eyes, ears, heart, kidneys and more. Some kids can also have autism spectrum disorder, behavioral issues or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Breanna was told Loghan may never walk or talk. But Breanna was determined do everything she could to prove otherwise. With a diagnosis, Loghan could start therapy. She started going four to five times a week, bouncing between physical, occupational and speech therapies. Breanna took home what she learned during each session to keep working with Loghan.
“You have to take what they’re doing and implement it at home,” says Breanna. As Loghan grew, so did her skills. She went from assisted crawling to assisted standing. Over the next few years, Loghan used ankle braces, a walker and a harness to improve her mobility. Breanna and Loghan’s physical therapist, Grant Boltjes, PT, were on the same page when it came to Loghan’s limits. “When she started blowing raspberries, we could tell she was working hard,” says Breanna. “But she was pushing through it.” And all that hard work paid off. Loghan graduated from physical therapy at 3 years old. “That was a really great moment not only for her, but for the whole family,” Breanna says.
There’s a bird on your head
hugs & kisses
Loghan
Avery
The movie Out of My Mind released at the end of 2024, but it already made it to the top of 10-year- old Avery Hill’s list of favorites. It follows the story of Melody, a young girl with cerebral palsy who uses a wheelchair and medi- talker. Because people underestimate her, she has to prove that she’s not that different from the other kids. And as a young girl with cerebral palsy, Avery can relate. Avery was born premature at just 29 weeks. A few days into her stay at the Sanford Children’s Boekelheide Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, her doctors discovered she was suffering from two brain bleeds. It would take two months of around-the-clock care to help her heal. As a nurse herself, Avery’s mom, Mindy Hill, knew in the back of her mind that cerebral palsy was a possibility because of Avery’s premature birth and brain bleeds. “But everything kind of goes out the window when it’s your kid,” says Mindy. “I know how things work, but when it’s personal, it’s easy to just forget it all.”
“At those early follow-up appointments, we were told she was growing and doing well,” says Mindy. “So her diagnosis felt like a shock.”
“We got right in with Dr. Bauer after Avery was born,” says Mindy. “He has been incredible.” Barry Bauer, MD, is a board-certified pediatrician with a breadth of expertise that makes him an asset to families like the Hills who have children with complex care needs. “As a general pediatrician, it’s my responsibility to understand my patients' medical conditions or developmental concerns, as well as their family and social situation, so that I can provide the best care possible,” says Dr. Bauer. “He is incredibly knowledgeable,” says Mindy. “Even when it comes to things that are just specific to Avery.”
The first years of Avery’s life were full of specialty care appointments. She saw neonatologists,
gastroenterologists, physical therapists, cardiovascular specialists, surgeons, neurologists and more. As they made their way through the web
All primary care providers strive to understand what makes each patient unique and, especially in Avery’s case, that understanding is crucial. “As a child with complex needs grows, additional issues may arise,” says Dr. Bauer. “Having a primary care physician who is familiar with them and their health history can go a long way.”
of specialty care required to meet Avery’s needs, there was a constant – her primary care provider.
Barry Bauer, MD PEDIATRICS
Big sister
a dog (izzy)
209-838-852 5/25
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