Anais Cruz, the mother of Baby Logan, leads his casket out the City of Refuge Worship Center following his homegoing service on Sat. Jan. 22, 2022. Photo Credit: REEMY-REEMZ PHOTOGRAPHY/VICONSORTIUM
The homegoing service held for Baby Logan was meant to be a celebration of his impactful life, and it was. But it was hard to shake the heartbreak expressed by many in the City of Refuge Worship Center Saturday morning, where the event was held.
Attendees cried at various points of the service, but one of the more difficult moments was when Baby Logan's mother, Anais Cruz, walked to the podium to speak, her words piercing with the sharpness of a mother's love grieving for her deceased child.
Five days before the funeral, when Baby Logan was received with a hero's welcome at the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on St. Croix, Ms. Cruz told the Consortium, "My anxiety of the upcoming funeral is just overwhelming because that is the last time I will physically see my son, and it's a big toll on me and I have been trying to fight through it emotionally."
Baby Logan's casket is placed inside a James Memorial Funeral Home hearse following the homegoing service at the City of Refuge Worship Center on Sat. Jan. 22, 2022. (Credit: Reemy-Reemz Photography/VI Consortium)
On Saturday, during the speech, she lamented his permanent departure. "I often hear people say I hope you find comfort in knowing that he is in a better place. The truth is I don't, and I don't think I will ever find comfort in that," Ms. Cruz said while weeping.
"You were better off here with me, in my arms, with your big bright smile, the warm kisses you gave me everyday," she continued, fully embracing the pain and allowing the tears to flow. "Here was the best place for you to be. I'm not sure I will ever come to peace with losing you because Lord knows this is not how our story was supposed to end."
Ms. Cruz then reminisced on the precious moments she spent with her son. "Logan, having you here with me for 2 years and 7 months was amazing. You made me laugh on days I felt I did not have the strength to get up, you made sure my days were filled with pure excitement. From our daily walks outside to cuddling on our bed watching your favorite TV shows, you made every single moment so special," she said.
Anais Cruz, in what was one of the more emotional moments of the service, said, "I often hear people say I hope you find comfort in knowing that he is in a better place. The truth is I don't, and I don't think I will ever find comfort that." (Credit: Reemy-Reemz Photography/VI Consortium)
Baby Logan's eulogy was read by his grandmother, Monique Cruz.
The homegoing service was at the maximum capacity allowed by the V.I. Dept. of Health's Covid-induced guidelines, and it included local leaders such as Senator Kurt Vialet. Mr. Vialet commended Anais and the Logan Miracle Foundation for raising awareness of pediatric cancer in the U.S. Virgin Islands, "and for the strength her and her family have shown throughout this long journey. I pray for comfort, and I pray for the continued support of the entire Virgin Islands," the senator said.
He said Baby Logan took the Virgin Islands on a journey, and on the Friday that he passed away, "the entire Virgin Islands cried," Mr. Vialet managed as he too became emotional.
Pastor Mona Barnes encouraged those who were praying for Logan to now pray for his family, and a group of local, mostly gospel singers performed a powerful rendition of Total Praise.
The service was the culmination of a two-year journey both bitter and sweet, all documented by Baby Logan's family on social media and other platforms, as they solicited support for the strong boy, who for his short time on earth battled Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia while the Virgin Islands and people from other parts of the world cheered him on.
