Our Stories of Hope aren’t just for the girls anymore! Now we have some guys in the mix!
In October we brought you Kelly Wood’s story and today I’m excited to introduce you to another great guy with another awesome Story of Hope, Dude Edition.
Logan Aldridge and I actually met back in 2005 when we were kids. Logan and his family came out to Kauai and met me and my family. Logan comes from a water sport family and they took me wakeboarding for the first time with one arm.
We didn’t really keep in touch after that, but 14 years later when we started planning for the first Forge Retreat, a retreat for male amputees, we knew we wanted to reach out and reconnect with Logan to see if he wanted to get involved. Logan attended the first annual Forge event with us in January 2020 and loved getting his feet wet again, this time surfing with me and the guys. Check out this fun video for a sneak peek of “Surf Day” and lots more from The Forge Retreat.
Here is Logan’s Story.
We both hope that it brings inspiration that leads to motivation!
Logan Aldridge was always heavily involved in sports and physical activity. Growing up he stayed outside as much as possible – playing football, soccer, baseball, basketball and lacrosse throughout his childhood. Coming from a family of water skiers, Logan recalls some of his earliest memories revolving around water sports, and he naturally developed a deep love of wakeboarding including real aspirations of pursuing the sport professionally from a young age.
“My passions were in lacrosse and wakeboarding; and I was committed to achieving excellence within those sports”, recalls Logan. “After three years of playing lacrosse and training aggressively, I lost my left arm at the age of 13 in a traumatic boating/wakeboard rope accident.”
After the amputation of his left arm (he was left handed), his biggest fear was that of being labeled “disabled” or “handicapped”. “I wanted to make sure that everyone knew I was going to be the same person I was before and do the same things that I would have done with two arms. This was not going to control my life,” said Logan. And it sure didn’t!
Since his injury, Logan has competed at an elite level in wakeboarding competitions, became an accomplished lacrosse player, written a book, started a career as a professional motivational speaker, and formed a business and nonprofit to help raise money for children’s hospitals across the country so that others may have the exceptional quality of care he received at UNC Children’s Hospital after his accident.
“My passion for fitness became an obsession out of necessity in order for me to be able to physically accomplish my goals as a wakeboarder, lacrosse player and overall athlete. I knew that in order to be competitive in sport I must be as physically fit as possible. I must KNOW that there is no way someone has outworked me,” shares Logan.
As an adaptive athlete and coach, Logan has a unique perspective and approach to any obstacle or challenge. “I am aware of a problem, but recognize the solutions,” he shares. “I know about the difficulties, but believe they can be overcome. I see the negative, but accentuate the positive. When exposed to the worst, I expect the best. When there are reasons to complain, I prefer to smile.”
This is the mindset he tries to instill in all of the athletes he works with. “When it comes down to it, attitude is everything. If we can have this perspective our potential is truly endless and growth is inevitable. Not only in fitness, but in life,” shares Logan.
“My life’s purpose now is to motivate others. We hear inspiration a lot, especially in the case of active amputees. Inspiring is cool—and I’m grateful to do that—but motivation is different than inspiring. You can be inspired sitting on the couch, but when you’re motivated—you’re ready to take action and instill change. Something has happened that’s made you ready to move. And I say hey, let’s move together.” -Logan Aldridge
You can learn more about Logan and what he is up to on his Instagram, and by reading this article, “It’s Just An Arm,” that the Beautifully Flawed Foundation published!
If you found Logan’s story inspiring and are wondering how you too can overcome the obstacles in your own life, check out the amazing practical guide I made with overcomer Nick Vujicic.
