Eight-Year-Old Logan Dorna Celebrates Blue Jays with Unique Prosthetic Eye

Eight-year-old Logan Dorna is making headlines for his spirited support of the Toronto Blue Jays during their playoff run, proudly showcasing the team’s logo on his prosthetic eye. Logan had his left eye removed at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto after being diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a rare form of eye cancer, at just six months old.

Ocularist Matthew Milne, who collaborates with the hospital’s eye cancer team, crafted Logan’s first artificial eye as an infant. As Logan grows, Milne replaces his prosthetic eye approximately every two years. During a recent visit, Logan expressed a desire for something special. “I wanted to get the special eye because I like playing baseball and I like watching it too,” he said in a video interview from his home in Richmond Hill, Ontario.

Milne, known for his artistic touch, designed an eye with a gold iris and baseball seams, incorporating the Blue Jays logo. While the logo remains invisible to others since it is tucked into the eye socket, Logan finds joy in knowing it is there. He often switches it out for his second “everyday” prosthetic eye, which features a brown iris that matches his seeing eye, along with a design inspired by a character from the “Zelda” video game series.

Milne emphasizes the importance of allowing young patients to personalize their prosthetic eyes. “When you’re dealing with a very kind of adult issue like retinoblastoma, I want to always give kids the opportunity to kind of customize something for themselves, make it fun for them,” he said.

Logan’s mother, Taline Dorna, shared that her son wears his Blue Jays eye every time the team plays, believing it brings them luck. The sporty theme also marks a significant moment in Logan’s life as he began playing baseball for the first time this past summer. “Having just monocular vision, depth perception is really off. So whenever he hit that ball … it really gave him that boost of confidence,” she noted.

On the field, Logan enjoys playing in right field, occasionally switching to middle and left positions. His parents, Taline and Serge Dorna, hope Logan’s embrace of his prosthetic eye encourages other children with differences to feel confident and accepted. “We want him to always feel confident and not ashamed of who he is because it’s part of his identity,” Taline expressed.

Logan’s prosthetic eye operates in sync with his seeing eye through connection to ocular muscles, allowing it to move naturally, despite lacking vision. According to the Canadian Cancer Society, retinoblastoma is the most common type of eye cancer in children, often diagnosed in those under the age of two. In 2019, there were only 15 reported cases in children aged 14 and under. The removal of the cancerous eye is crucial for preventing the tumor from spreading.

Logan required no further treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation following his surgery. He now has annual checkups at the SickKids’ eye clinic and visits Milne every few months to maintain his prosthetic eye.

This story highlights not only Logan’s love for baseball and the Blue Jays but also his resilience in the face of adversity. It serves as an inspiring reminder of the power of creativity and support in overcoming challenges.