Diagnosed with an extremely rare form of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in September 2010 at the age of 3½ and again in January 2014.

 

A true warrior of cancer, he particpates in Little League and Karate Competitions.

 

His doctors are awaiting approval for a new clinical trial similar to CART-19 which they feel will be a better treatment for him.

 

In the meantime, his T-cells have been harvested once again and will be modified using this new protocol. Once approval is received for the trial, he will be the first person to ever undergo the treatment.

 

While waiting for approval, he is receiving chemotherapy treatments.

Logan was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL with hypodiploidy and the PH+ chromosome) in September 2010 at the age of 3½. He was placed into a treatment protocol for "very high risk" patients. Following a very aggressive regimen of chemotherapy and eight rounds of full body radiation, he underwent an unrelated umbilical cord blood stem cell transplant on February 7, 2011.

Unfortunately, this transplant failed within a year. His relapse was also very rare, beginning with leukemia cells showing up only in a lesion on his forehead. His doctors have been unable to find another case of this type of recurrence anywhere in the world. He received localized radiation on the lesion and cells were not detected in his bone marrow until months later. At that time, he went through even stronger chemotherapy in preparation for a bone marrow transplant. With no donor match available, he was accepted as the 13th person, and only the third child, ever to participate in the CART-19 trial at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).

 

In CART-19 T-cells that were harvested from him were genetically modified to express a protein which recognizes and attacks his cancerous B-cells. He received his CART-19 cells on January 8, 2013. Unfortunately, he experienced that same rare subcutaneous relapse during the summer of 2013 with leukemia showing up in his bone marrow in January 2014.

 

His doctors are awaiting approval for a new clinical trial similar to CART-19 which they feel will be a better treatment for him. In the meantime, his T-cells have been harvested once again and will be modified using this new protocol. Once approval is received for the trial, he will be the first person to ever undergo the treatment. While waiting for approval, he is receiving chemotherapy treatments.

 

Throughout it all, however, Logan has been a true warrior and, when not in the hospital or in treatment, he participates in Little League, goes to school, and has earned several belt levels in karate (He holds a senior blue belt.). He has competed in, and won, karate competitions, and was also profiled in the 60th Anniversary issue of Esquire Magazine in October 2013 for his participation in CART-19.

 

Logan's ever-present smile belies the challenges he has faced and warms the hearts of all who meet him. He is a true cancer warrior, determined to win!