Return to the ALS series
ALS – The Children: Logan & Lola
Logan and Lola are two normal American teenagers. Logan, who recently turned 17, enjoys spending hours playing online games with his friends. He has begun to pick up his love of tennis again. He recently got his drivers licence and started his first job. Today is Lola’s 13th birthday. She has always loved animals. She still hasn’t convinced Thor to get a dog, but in the meantime she keeps herself busy with her two cockatiels, and most recently, two baby goats. A lot of her time is spent with friends at the stables helping care for (and learning how to ride) the horses.
Logan is a quiet young man who prefers his own company, often going on long walks by himself. He doesn’t talk much which makes it hard to gauge his emotions. With a house constantly full of family and friends, the constant hum of the oxygen pump and fluctuating emotions, Logan chose for the relative calm of his own room and trusted online connections. I recall Veronique describing what resembled an out-of-body experience she had had a few months prior to her death, where she ‘floated’ through the home checking up on each family member. When she reached Logans room and asked him how he was doing, he turned to her and replied: “I’m processing”. Being the loving and understanding parents they are, Thor and Veronique honoured Logan’s need for peace and privacy.
Lola, quite the opposite of her brother, was often the life of the party. While never losing sight of Veronique’s situation, she maintained her positive outlook on life. It was almost as if, unknowingly, her task was to keep things light and deflect some of the attention away from the heaviness of ALS and help each of us acknowledge that life still held a lot worth celebrating. The 13 year old self-proclaimed Princess brought many a smile to the mother whose life lay precariously on the edge. While all of us worried about what was coming, Lola kept bringing us into the present moment.
It is hard to imagine anything much more difficult for these two children than to lose their mother at such a young age. Ultimately, who can say how Logan and Lola will carry this burden. Fortunately for them, Thor will be there to help lighten the load. Mostly it will take time. If there is a lesson to be had amidst the pain and loss brought about through ALS, it certainly must be a renewed sense of awe at the fragility of life and a reminder of how blessed we are with the time that we have.
