Athletes in any sport are gifted with drive and passion for their craft.
That can be said for 15-year-old Logan Edwards from Prince Albert, Sask.
He loves football, baseball, and especially basketball. Yet Logan differs from your regular athlete in one way: he competes with vision in only one eye.
Logan lost vision in the eye after an accident during a baseball game in August 2021. Now he continues to compete in the sports he loves, with protective eyewear.
“I’m not completely blind, but I am legally blind,” Logan says. If he squints hard, he explains, he can see out of the eye.
Brother Aiden says Logan never lost faith in his ability not just to play but to succeed in sports, even after the injury.
“His coach hit a ball up in the air. He looked up and didn’t see that ball, went to catch it and missed. It hit him directly in the eye, causing scarring in the back of his eye,” Aiden explains. “That scarring will never disappear. He won’t see anything but that black in that eye.”
Logan was told he could continue to play just about every sport after the injury. Logan’s close relationship with his older brother Aiden extends beyond from their house. It includes Ukrainian dancing, and the two have also played sports on the same teams.
Aiden knew Logan would be just fine, even after having a life-altering situation unfold.
When faced with a challenge, Aiden says Logan stays on task.
“He does what he loves and keeps going,” Aiden says. “He is just a natural athlete, doing what athletes do.”
Logan was given an award for his perseverance in sports last year by Baseball Saskatchewan. His father, Blake Logan, couldn’t be prouder.
“He was officially awarded that in person in Meadow Lake, Sask., last year,” Blake says. “It was a great presentation. We are certainly thankful that they recognized his positive attitude and perseverance over the injury.”
Hearing the diagnosis from the doctor was not easy, but it didn’t get Logan down.
“The news was definitely harder on his mom and me, his grandparents,” Blake recalls. “The doctors said that had Logan been older, it may not have been as smooth of a transition with adjusting to seeing out of one eye.”
Together, the three Edwards say it’s important never to lose track of your ambitions or goals, and to strive for what you’re passionate about, no matter what.
“When I told my parents I wanted to continue with the sports, they were totally fine with that. They wanted me to get back into it,” Logan says.
“The way he reacts to everything, the way he just pushes through everything, he always has a smile on his face and a positive attitude,” Aiden adds. “I have never met someone who always finds the positive out of a bad or negative situation.”
“His sense of humour and his attitude never left him,” Blake says. “He just never let it set him back, which is good.”
“The only sport the doctor suggested he quit is boxing.”