The CHEO BBQ 2022 Honorary Family
Leaders are made, not born, and we have a great example of a young leader developing in front of us – Logan Hussein!
by Stephanie Egan
Sue and Wael were like so many couples excited to welcome their new baby into the world. Their son Logan was born in December of 2008. The birth was a bit more complicated than expected and Logan was born with a Pneumothorax – a collapsed lung. Shortly after birth, the new parents watched their son being transported by CHEO’s Neonatal Transport Team – scared and not knowing what would happen to their newborn son.
Sue and Wael were like so many couples excited to welcome their new baby into the world. Their son Logan was born in December of 2008. The birth was a bit more complicated than expected and Logan was born with a Pneumothorax – a collapsed lung. Shortly after birth, the new parents watched their son being transported by CHEO’s Neonatal Transport Team – scared and not knowing what would happen to their newborn son.
They left the hospital and followed the transport team to CHEO’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. They were just a few minutes behind but were shocked at how quickly the team had Logan settled in and hooked up to equipment. Sue needed to go back to the hospital as she was not officially discharged but there was no stopping her from seeing her son arrive safe and sound at CHEO.
It was heartbreaking for Sue to spend the night away from Logan while dad Wael stayed in touch with a CHEO nurse on the phone. “I could hear the nurse calming Wael…it was the first time I saw my husband cry,” says Sue. Sue checked out of the hospital the next day, against doctors’ orders but she was determined to be by her son’s side.
“When we arrived at CHEO, everyone was so kind and supportive,” Sue says. “THEY GOT IT. They knew right away how we felt and did everything to help us.” While observing other families in the NICU, they saw fear in parents’ faces but also patience and love from the nurses and doctors. They felt so grateful for having this level of care near home.
To show their appreciation on Logan’s first birthday they asked friends and family to make donations to CHEO in lieu of gifts. Logan, without knowing it, was one of the first to launch CHEO’s kids helping kids program. What started as a one-time gesture of thanks to CHEO has become an annual tradition now led by Logan himself. The family took one year off as mom Sue was battling breast cancer, but they continued to ask friends for donations to CHEO and returned in full force the following year.
Logan is determined to raise enough funds to purchase a new incubator so that other babies can get the great care they need. To date, Logan, now 14 years old, has raised more than $166,000! Logan is definitely learning the meaning of leadership from his amazing parents. In 2019, he was named Outstanding Youth Philanthropist of the year by the Ottawa Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. We are thrilled to have Logan bring his deep-seated spirit of giving back to inspire us for the 2022 CHEO BBQ!