Logan Kelm named CMN Hospitals National Hero

As a 2015-2016 Children's Miracle Network Hospitals® Hero Logan Kelm won over a lot of people in the Coulee Region. Now he's taking his winning smile and engaging personality to a national stage. Logan was recently honored by being named a 2019 National Champion for CMN Hospitals.

"Logan is the 2018 Wisconsin CMN Hospitals Champion for Gundersen Health System. He has done an amazing job of bringing awareness about his disease and the great care he receives at Gundersen Health System. We were excited and proud to learn the CMN Hospitals national organization chose Logan to be a National Champion for 2019," reports Heather Gilles, associate director of development for CMN Hospitals.

As a national Champion, Logan will be featured during #ChildrensHospitalsWeek and throughout campaigns, fundraising and media advocating for the charitable need of CMN Hospitals. Logan loves making friends and is sure to make many new ones as he and his family travel around the U.S. in the next year sharing their experiences with CMN Hospitals.

Early in his young life, Logan was diagnosed with Merosin deficient congenital muscular dystrophy, detected not long after he was born. Gundersen and CMN Hospitals® has been there to help Logan and his family.

Logan gets the specialty care he needs at Gundersen, close to his Holmen, Wis., home. With the help of CMN Hospitals, Logan has a wheelchair-lift for the family van and a wheelchair ramp for his home. CMN Hospitals helped the family throughout the years with transportation assistance.

Now age 9, Logan has already experienced some tough times and can expect challenges ahead. He's at risk for heart issues, respiratory illnesses, scoliosis, joint contractures and other health problems that will impact him and his family.

But Logan's not really focused on all that. He loves the Avengers (Iron Man is his favorite), Pokémon and making people laugh. When he talks about the future, he says that someday he'd like to be an inventor. Regarding his condition, he says, "I just roll with it."