Longtime Greenville Shriners patient says goodbye to children's hospital
Logan Hopper rings Randy's Celebration Bell at Shriners Hospitals for Children
during a ceremony for her aging out of the children's hospital system Friday, June
14, 2019. (Photo: JOSH MORGAN/Staff)
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Longtime Greenville Shriners patient says goodbye to children's hospital
Logan Hopper has been a patient at Shriners Hospital in Greenville for most of her life.
Born prematurely weighing just 1 pound, 14 ounces, she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 3 months.
And since she was 2, she s been hospitalized numerous times for surgeries and a variety of other treatments to help.
She s also been a popular patient ambassador, volunteering countless hours at dozens of events over the years for the hospital, which provides specialty orthopedic care for children regardless of their family s ability to pay.
But the Blacksburg High School graduate is now a 21-year-old business student at Spartanburg Community College and is aging out of the children s hospital system.
So on Friday, Shriners held a special send-off to say goodbye.
Logan has been an inspiration and become well known to the staff over the 19 years she s been in our care," said hospital spokeswoman Trana Pittam. "Many employees have watched her evolve from a toddler to a high-school homecoming queen to the confident 21-year-old woman she is today.
"Through those years, she s been one of our most reliable patient ambassadors... all to help the community understand the life-changing orthopedic care we provide, and to thank donors who have made it all possible.
As part of the sendoff, all the employees, including Logan's longtime surgeon Dr. Michael Mendelow, turned out as she rang the bell marking her departure.
Logan previously told The Greenville News that she loved going to Shriners, a place where she made a lot of friends and where doctors joked with her to make her comfortable during tough times.
I am humbled to be honored by this special luncheon today and thankful for all the care I ve received over the years," she said Friday. "I will miss my Shriners family.
Longtime Greenville Shriners patient says goodbye to children's hospital
Logan Hopper has been a patient at Shriners Hospital in Greenville for most of her life.
Born prematurely weighing just 1 pound, 14 ounces, she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 3 months.
And since she was 2, she s been hospitalized numerous times for surgeries and a variety of other treatments to help.
She s also been a popular patient ambassador, volunteering countless hours at dozens of events over the years for the hospital, which provides specialty orthopedic care for children regardless of their family s ability to pay.
But the Blacksburg High School graduate is now a 21-year-old business student at Spartanburg Community College and is aging out of the children s hospital system.
So on Friday, Shriners held a special send-off to say goodbye.
Logan has been an inspiration and become well known to the staff over the 19 years she s been in our care," said hospital spokeswoman Trana Pittam. "Many employees have watched her evolve from a toddler to a high-school homecoming queen to the confident 21-year-old woman she is today.
"Through those years, she s been one of our most reliable patient ambassadors... all to help the community understand the life-changing orthopedic care we provide, and to thank donors who have made it all possible.
As part of the sendoff, all the employees, including Logan's longtime surgeon Dr. Michael Mendelow, turned out as she rang the bell marking her departure.
Logan previously told The Greenville News that she loved going to Shriners, a place where she made a lot of friends and where doctors joked with her to make her comfortable during tough times.
I am humbled to be honored by this special luncheon today and thankful for all the care I ve received over the years," she said Friday. "I will miss my Shriners family.