Boy with Smith-Magenis Syndrome Seeks Service Dog
It has been quite the roller coaster ride for the Bondarewicz family. Logan was born in October 2002 and has been misdiagnosed from the most basic to the more complex situations.
Logan has been seeing some kind of doctor or therapist on a weekly basis his entire life. At 10 months of age Logan became very ill. This was extremely scary due to Logan basically in a “sleep coma” for 5 days. We took him to the doctor every day and finally they referred us to Children’s Hospital where they told us he had viral meningitis which was very serious.
Fortunately, Logan recovered pretty well from this illness but this was the beginning of his ear problems. Since the age of 10 months, Logan has received 7 sets of ear tubes due to infections.
From an early age, Logan showed signs of delay. We were told his delays were from the viral meningitis and he would eventually catch up to his peers. We were so hopeful in the doctors telling us Logan would be fine because we certainly did not want anything serious to be wrong with Logan.
As time went on, Logan’s speech, developmental delay, and behavioral issues became much more apparent. Logan’s occupational therapist suggested we have genetic testing performed. After waiting six months to get in for the testing and another two months for the results we found out that Logan has a rare genetic disorder called Smith-Magenis Syndrome (SMS). Obviously, it was tragic getting the news.
Smith-Magenis Syndrome results in developmental delay and serious behavioral issues. It is a challenge every day having a child with Smith-Magenis Syndrome. Logan has been through so much for a young child.
Despite Logan having all his struggles he is such an amazing little boy with great compassion and a wonderful sense of humor. He has a deep love for animals, especially dogs, which bring him so much happiness and peace. This is why we are working on raising money for 4 Paws For Ability in order to qualify to receive a multi-purpose service dog.
In addition to Logan’s delays and behavioral problems, he has sensory integration. 4 Paws For Ability will train the dog to lie on Logan’s lap to provide deep pressure to help calm his system down, which is just one of the many things the dog will be trained to do. Most importantly, Logan will have a companion who will love him for him.
4 Paws For Ability is an amazing non-profit organization training dogs to help people with disabilities. I am so thankful for this organization.
When donating to 4 Paws in honor of Logan Bondarewicz you will help grant a wish come true for our family. Please make checks out to 4 Paws For Ability and be sure to write “in honor of Logan Bondarewicz” on the memo portion of the check. This is a great cause and your donation is tax deductible!
We thank you from the bottom of our hearts! The Bondarewicz Family
Note: I highly endorse 4 Paws for Ability as a source for extremely well-trained service dogs. The organization is sound and its goals exceptional. Judy Vorfeld.