Logan Humpal, a freshman at South Winneshiek High School, types on his Braille typewriter in his Spillville home. The 16-year-old, who was born blind and with autism, will be a member of the Warrior wrestling team this winter. He shares a love of sports, having also participated in the Special Olympics, as well as the fine arts as a member of the South Winn band, musical and choir. (Zakary Kriener photo)
'Don't stop believin'
Zakary Kriener
News Writer
zkriener@fayettepublishing.com
Kicker – Local teen won’t let anything stand in his way
‘Don’t stop believin’
By Zakary Kriener
Logan Humpal, a 16-year-old from Spillville, is destined to accomplish big things. The high school freshman plays percussion in the South Winneshiek marching band, will play the role of Harvard Law student Padamadan in the upcoming Legally Blonde musical at South Winn, and will be going out for the Warrior wrestling team this winter. Those may seem like some pretty common activities for a high school student, and they are, but what makes Logan’s story so much more special is that he is blind.
That’s right, Logan is completely blind. However, that doesn’t stop the young boy from setting his goals high and accomplishing them.
“Logan was born at 24 weeks, three months premature,” explained his mom, Dawn Backes. “He has had dozens of surgeries over the years, but he doesn’t let that slow him down one bit.”