During these difficult times we have all had to adapt to a life confined to our homes. However, for some of our families this has much larger implications. The Franco-Franklin family are a Starlight family made up of Mum, Dad, Logan (11), Leo (6) and Phoebe (3). Logan and Leo both have a very rare gene deletion which effects their cognitive development and means neither of the boys have ever spoken a word, relying on their parents for their every need.

Logan and Leo often live in their own worlds. They won’t watch a movie, can’t play video games so it can be a hard task to keep them occupied. However, Logan loves being in water! He used to spend time splashing around in the bathroom, often resulting in flooding the house.

Logan’s wish of a hot tub was granted by Starlight in February 2019. Since having the hot tub it has transformed family time. The warm water and the bubbles appeal to his senses and stimulate his muscles – he can splash as much as he likes!

Logan can sometimes be in a lot of pain and it is emotionally and physically draining for my wife and I, especially if he is having a bad day, Logan can have meltdowns and self-harm by scratching his face and flicking his ears – the hot tub can help calm him down and take his mind off the pain.

Logan is often the last one to be taken out and sits in the middle of the hot tub so it’s the hardest place to reach him to get him out. When he is in the hot tub he never stops smiling and making vocalisations. Family time is a lot of fun in the hot tub, splashing and playing with the bubbles, listening to music, and Leo loves the LED lights in the evening.
In the current lockdown Logan’s wish has been a godsend and I can’t honestly think of a better wish we could have asked for.  You only have to look at the photos to see what a difference your donations make to children like Logan. You are helping make dreams like Logan’s a reality, brightening his life and allowing him to be a little boy, which means so much to us as a family. Please keep donating to this amazing charity and the wonderful people that run it, I hope you liked our story.

Malcolm, Logan's dad