MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, Hawaii -- Birthday List
- Cool clothes
- Dirt bike
- Video games
- Game store gift card
- Nerf Guns …
It’s birthday time and the list was ready three weeks ago.
Invitations were sent out and reservations for the party have been made. The anticipation rises, as the days grow closer to the celebration. Nothing else in the world exists except for the party, the cake and the presents.
The day arrives, the party was great, and every item on the birthday list is sitting next to plastic forks and remnants of the cake. The presents are packed into the back of the car but aren’t headed home.
They’re headed for other homes, other families and other kids.
This is how Logan Jordan celebrated his 11th birthday Saturday. He didn’t give his mom and dad a birthday wish list, and he didn’t keep any presents, but got exactly what he wanted for his birthday.
He donated all his birthday gifts to Toys for Tots. He also raised $150 to buy toys for the drive. He did it with a smile and a hope to do the same thing next year.
“I just couldn’t do knowing other kids didn’t have presents at Christmas,” said Logan, a native of Louiville, Ky. “I just like when other people are happy.”
He remembered being in Alabama a couple years ago with his mom and dad, working at a Toys for Tots warehouse. He said he remembers being able to help people and this year came up with the idea of donating his birthday presents to Toys for Tots.
Jordan’s father is a master sergeant with 1st Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, and his mother is a nurse at the Hawaii Medical Center East.
He has lived in Louiville, Jacksonville, N.C., Birmington, Ala., and here in Hawaii.
When he was three he was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, and has the two most crippling kinds – Polyarticular and Systemic.
“The doctors have been shocked because children with this disease are usually in a wheelchair at this age,” Jordan’s mother said.
According to WebMD.com, Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis is a common type of arthritis in children. It is a chronic disease, which causes joint pain and inflammation, and may lead to joint damage. Some symptoms are joint stiffness when waking up in the morning, limited range of motion, slow rate of growth or uneven arm or leg growth, back pain and may cause a child to stop using an affected limb.
“Telling a 10 year old kid that he can’t go outside because his knees are hurting so bad and that he has to go to the library during recess at school — it’s not fair to tell some one his age that,” Jordan’s father said. “He knows what he has isn’t going away.”
Living with this disease and being the man of the house when his father is deployed has made Jordan mature for his age and has cultured his naturally giving personality.
“As much as I’m gone, he takes a lot on his shoulders,” Jordan’s father said. “He knows there’s a consequence for everything. He has grown up a lot because of his health issues; he has to manage them day-to-day when most kids just have to worry about playing outside. He is just mature for his age. He knows what the right thing is to do.”
Even with JRA, Jordan still loves playing sports. Last year he was awarded for running the most miles of the children in the boys running club at Mokapu Elementary School. He also loves skate boarding.
Not just a jock, Jordan enjoys to write. Although it’s just a hobby, he has been recognized for a first place essay submitted to the Young Men’s Christian Association Armed Services Global Essay Contest.
“I like writing, just not a lot,” Jordan said. “I like making up stories and sometimes writing poetry, but when I get tired of writing I stop.”
In the future Jordan either hopes to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a Marine or professional football player.
“At first, I was really worried about my dad, then years gone by and he progressed. Then my dad was gone to Iraq a couple times and got severely injured and I just want to step up to that challenge,” Jordan said.
For now, Jordan looks to continue to help people less fortunate than him.
“My goals are to continue to help other children or people, and hope they are happy,” he said.
He is a 5th grader and just turned 11, but is an example of when someone acts on their thoughts. Jordan has moved to four different places throughout his life, has been diagnosed and lives with JRA, and still has the interest to change peoples’ lives by just simply helping them with whatever he can do.
“I hope they will be happy for what they have and grateful now, and someday they’ll grow up like me,” Jordan said.