Kate’s Corner Ordinary People, Extraordinary Stories

If you’ve ever seen the Logan family at one of the events in town, you’ve likely seen a foursome of blonde hair, faces plastered with smiles. Danielle and Steve Logan have made a beautiful life for their two children Lilah (7) and Tommy (4), and the smiles that you see today, are the positive outcome of the many struggles that they’ve faced along the way.

Danielle, Steve, Lilah and Tommy are all smiles.

Danielle and Steve had only been married for three months, when Danielle (26) was woken in the middle of the night to find Steve (28), lying in the bathtub, in excruciating pain. After what was a normal night for the newlyweds, Steve had complained of a stomach ache, nothing out of the ordi-nary, as his stomach had bothered him on and off for years, and doctors often blamed the pain on indigestion, sending him home with quick-fix remedies. This time was different.

Steve was urgently admitted to the Intensive Care Unit and diagnosed with a blockage in his pan-creatic duct caused by an over abundance of accumulated gallstones. A CAT scan revealed years of misdiagnosed symptoms including the blockage of his digestive intestines. Within hours Steve had surgery to remove his gall bladder and the stones which had accumulated in the surrounding ducts. Following the surgery, when Danielle thought he was in the clear and on the road to recovery, Ste-ve’s organs started to fail, causing his original diagnosis to take a near-fatal turn. He was then transferred to Beth Israel Hospital where doctors determined that he had what is called Necrotizing Pancreatitis, a result of undiagnosed gallstones being lodged in his bile duct, causing his pancreas to explode. The toxins then necrotized, starting to eat away at his other organs.

Today, Steve has 20 percent of his pancreas left and he takes each day at a time, always facing the world with a smile on his face.

“Having a positive outlook is a huge part of our lives,” said Danielle. “Positivity allows us to look at what we have and not take our life for granted. However, a good friend recently reminded me that although positivity is important, it’s also okay to feel frustrated or disheartened at times, that’s a big part of the journey as well.”

Danielle and Steve believe in the importance of acceptance and living in the moment.

Having nearly lost her best friend and husband on that night in 2009, Danielle has made it her mission to live every day to the fullest doing what she loves, which is why she left her desk job to run a doggie daycare and walking business, called Just Like Home Pet Sitting.

“I feel grateful for our life on a daily basis. Mostly because of the lessons that it has allowed us to teach our children. We’ve been able to show them that life isn’t perfect. Sometimes life is going to be difficult, or emotional and that’s OK. Life isn’t about being perfect, life’s about how you handle Plan B.”

While every day is different and Steve’s health has its ups and downs, the Logan family feels blessed to call Winthrop their home.

“Truthfully when we think of our heart, we think of Winthrop. Not only because of the magic of the ocean or the peace of the beach but because of the community. It’s the people of Winthrop that make it truly special.”

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