Our Inspiration

Our Inspiration

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Love Never Dies

Meet Daniella Logun, our beautiful daughter and the inspiration behind the Daniella Logun Foundation (DLF).


Time may seem to stand still after a child passes away but Daniella's strength, beauty, grace, love, charitable heart, humour and spiritual strength will never stand still. 


Thanks to the power of digital technology we launched this beautiful artist's impression of Daniella in April 2023.  Dannie is our angel, sent to light the way for the other children diagnosed with cancer.  We aim to bring Hope, Faith and Love where possible, to these children and their families.  To those still with us and those who have gained their angel wings.


We are a foundation set up by parents with lived experience, for parents living the experience.  Please click 'Who We Are' below to read more.

Diamond D 

Daniella's Story




Intelligent and mature for her age, Daniella had just started secondary school at her first choice and one of the best secondary schools in the borough. A young girl with a strong Christian faith, she was studious, growing in church as an altar server and rearing to go with her new school blazer!


Daniella and her friends were excited and looking forward to 'bigger' responsibilities at 'big school'. In a short time, they had gone from being at the highest level in her primary school to being one of the youngest students in her new secondary school. All the same, this mature 11-year-old, was quietly nervous but prepared for the challenge ahead, with her warm, caring and bubbly personality. Fresh into the first half of the autumn term, she quickly established herself as an 'A' student and was soon selected as the Year 7 Worship Prefect. Her family were excited. All was going well.  Click 'What We Do' below to learn more.



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The Signs & Symptoms

Within a few short weeks, Suddenly, Dannie (as she was fondly called by family and friends), started having difficulty moving her right eye. According to HeadSmartUK, this is one of the most common non-specific symptom of childhood brain tumours. Sadly, it was missed in Dannie’s case. General eye tests returned normal and Dannie was sent home. Dannie’s sight deteriorated and she was referred to the children’s A&E for further neurological investigations and an MRI scan. The MRI revealed a growth in Dannie’s brain and prompted an urgent referral to Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH). 


Sadly, this phenomenon is not uncommon and many families till date still experience similar pathways from their child’s first symptom to diagnosis. This ‘noodle pathway’ has been identified by HeadSmart and can lead to a delayed diagnosis or misdiagnosis. Today, we partner with HeadSmart as regional champions to raise awareness of the early signs and symptoms of childhood brain tumours, amongst child professionals in the community, improve early diagnosis and save more lives. Click 'Why We Do' below to learn more.


Family Impact

The diagnosis of a child with a brain tumour impacts the child, their family and friends. Dannie’s diagnosis came as a shock and the care processes that followed seemed to blur into one. Family life changed as Dannie's medical care progressed, the stress increased, medical language became confusing, outside relationships became more difficult to manage and without an independent 3rd party to support, Dannie’s family accepted the reality of their complex new environment on their own. 


Many of our families tell us they struggle with feelings of isolation and confusion under this overwhelming change of circumstances.  Their immediate focus remains to get the required care for their child before safeguarding their wellbeing. This process often brings negative stress and affects the family’s ability to form positive relationships with the medical teams around their child. 


 

Today, the Daniella Logun Foundation has been established as a trustworthy & experienced companion, to support the family through their journey.  This is a scarce and invaluable resource that is applied correctly can help families cope with various challenges as they arise.


A beautiful young girl within and without, Daniella is loved by many who knew her and have come to know her.  Our holistic approach ensures that we can work with families to identify their wellbeing priorities and can offer them the wellbeing support they need, when they need it.


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Some Lessons Learned


Dannie's family found it very difficult to have the 'Advance Care Planning' conversation with Dannie's oncology team.  Discovering that Dannie's Emergency and Advanced Care Plans were not fully established was a harrowing experience for her family, at a time when no further advance care planning was possible.  Despite the very best effort, and on their own their own, it never felt quite right to plan Dannie's end of life care, especially when that end, was not immediately in sight.


Sadly, this is still not uncommon and some of our families tell us this remains a difficult conversation for them today.  We understand how difficult it can be for the child’s family to come to terms with their new reality on their own.  We understand how difficult it can be for a family to feel 'emotionally ready' to discuss or understand the ‘medical language’ around this process.  However, we understand why Advance Care Planning is very important in a child's palliative care.  Further more, through our lived experience, we can help work with the child, their family and medical teams to get these plans in place, when it really matters. 


Today, the Advanced Care Planning process is one of the important areas of research we support. We understand that this advanced planning is essential in ensuring your child receives the right quality of care at the right time and can work with families and professionals to find softer ways to approach this sensitive conversation.  We partner with the 3rd sector, NHS and other academic institutions through Public & Patient Involvement (PPI) to offer insights and improve the ways medical professionals and families can work together to improve this process for the benefit of the child at the centre. 


Click here to learn more about What We Do.

"In the years after Daniella’s passing, my experience caring for her slowly turned into a yearning for more and became a deeper desire to help other families as well as help improve this experience for the next child diagnosed with a brain tumour."


Angela Logun

(Dannie's Mother)

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Our promise

To support your wellbeing from the point of your child's diagnosis.  
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