Colorado teen receives kidney donation and "Pot of Gold"
The star of Saturday night's Colorado Eagles game wasn't one of the players. It was 14-year-old Cooper Logan, aka "DJ Lil Coop."
Cooper Logan was 3 years old when he was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease; a condition that causes inflammation of the blood vessels in the heart.
"There's a 10-day window. I got caught on the 12th day," said Cooper.
The Timnath teen has since battled a giant coronary aneurysm and kidney failure as a result of the lifelong disease.
"Him being a child and experiencing this, we see the progress that he makes and then there are steps back," said Cooper's mom Meredith Logan. "It hurts very much to see your child experiencing this."
After his kidneys shut down completely last year, Cooper has been awaiting a donation.
Finally, his family got the news they'd been hoping for.
"Hearing that 'oh my gosh we have a donor!' And then to receive the news that it was someone that we knew, Shawn and I just both looked at each other and we just started crying," said Meredith.
Cooper's kidney donor was not just anyone, it was Maggie Robel, a family friend.
"I have a niece that is 14, and I would hope that if she needed a kidney, that someone would step up for her," said Robel.
Cooper's kidney transplant will be on April 5. His family says their gratitude for Robel's gift can't be measured.
"I mean it's nothing that I've ever imagined," said Cooper.
It's not the only luck they've had this year.
After two years of serving as pregame DJ for the Colorado Eagles minor-league hockey team, Cooper was chosen as this year's Pot of Gold recipient.
"I was like 'wow, it's really me?'" asked Cooper.
"Over the last couple years, I've really gotten to know his family," said Colorado Eagles President Ryan Bach. "To see what he's been through since the age of three, and the onset of Kawasaki disease and being in and out of the hospital, it just really touched us as someone that was deserving for us and the entire community to support him."
Each year, the Pot of Gold game fundraises for a family struggling financially because of a child's illness.
"Cooper's on one of the most expensive medicines in the world. $100,000 a dose and he does it every eight weeks," said Cooper's father Shawn Logan. "We recently learned he will have to be on that for the rest of his life."
Proceeds from Saturday's game, plus community donations, totaled $130,816. The Logan family was given a check during the game.
"My heart is full," said Meredith. "When a community is able to come support, you are wrapped around and taken care of."
"Just gratitude," said Shawn.
Although Cooper will have Kawasaki disease for the rest of his life, the new kidney will improve his health, and allow him to start a new chapter.
At the game, Cooper got to drop the puck, receive a lucky jersey, and of course, DJ the pregame show.
"He's an awesome kid. I'm super excited for him to be healthier and be able to go after his dreams and live a long and happy life," said Robel.
"Whatever keeps me alive and keeps me going, I'm excited to have," said Cooper.
After Cooper's diagnosis, his parents started the Kawasaki Kids Foundation.
"It was all started because of Cooper. We've now saved 171 kids due to early diagnosis," said Shawn.
They want to raise awareness about the early signs of Kawasaki disease, which is the leading cause of heart disease in children younger than five.
Symptoms are most likely to onset between birth and age 5 and include:
- Fever of 102 F+ (39 C+) and lasts more than five days.
- Extremely red eyes (conjunctivitis) without a thick discharge
- A rash on the main part of the body and genital area
- Red, dry, cracked lips and an extremely red, swollen tongue (often called strawberry tongue)
- Swollen, red skin on the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Irritability
- Decreased appetite
The Logans say diagnosing Kawasaki Disease within the first 10 days is key in preventing long-term damage. To learn more, visit their foundation's website.