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2-year-old transplant patient dies Sunday

Dec 5, 2007 | Jim Sabin | The Advocate

Almost four months after receiving the four organ transplants he needed, Logan Davis was playing, dancing and seemingly well on his way to recovery.

It was a long fight for the 2-year-old. But it came to a sudden, tragic end Sunday.

Logan suffered a brain hemorrhage Saturday that caused brain damage, and by Sunday, doctors said no hope was left. Family members made the decision to end life support, and the boy died 20 minutes later.

Logan's mother, Melissa Davis, chronicled her son's fight on the Internet and said doctors made it clear there really wasn't any hope on Sunday morning.

Logan had been rushed to Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh on Aug. 4, for the second time and received a new liver, small bowel, pancreas and part of a stomach. He was diagnosed with necrotizing enterocolitis when he was 2 weeks old, and he was waiting for the transplants for a year and a half.

Every step of the way, Martin said, the little boy kept fighting.

"He's had a lot of ups and downs, but we thought we'd kind of come through the worst of it, and he seemed to be doing a lot better," Martin said. "I just can't even begin to tell you how much he has taught us and how much we have learned from him. It didn't matter what he was going through, what tubes he had in him, what they were doing to him; he would always come back with a pointed finger, a waggle of his head to music."

Her daughter's efforts to support her son were just as inspiring, Martin said.

"I think she's been an inspiration to a lot of people that have written in. She's taught a lot of people the importance of just being strong and doing things you never thought you could do."

Angels in Action has sponsored several fundraisers for the family during the past year, which have helped, Martin said. The family has no idea what the bills will be and hopes to get them paid for by insurance or waived by the hospital.

Children's Organ Transplant Association also has helped the family, and donations through that group can help other children, Martin said.

Ultimately, Martin said the family never will know what finally went wrong. Doctors said they thought they could see tumors on Logan's brain after the hemorrhage Saturday, but the only way to know for sure would have been to do an autopsy.

The family decided against it.

"I'm sure that child had never known a day without some type of pain, and he just never let it bother him. He fought and fought until the bitter end," Martin said. "He'd had enough."