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Logan Coleridge is a natural-born competitor, so after a concussion sidelined him from more than just football his parents knew something deeper was at play.

“It always felt like something was just not right,” said Logan’s mom, Becky Coleridge. “The hardest thing for us as parents is watching him suffer, and there was nothing we could do about it.”

By 14 years old, Logan had experienced concussive blows playing football, which he has played competitively since he was 6. In elementary school, he started experiencing abdominal migraines—nausea, sometimes pains in his belly. In middle school, he experienced unexplained visual black spots while on the field. But in August 2023, a helmet-to-helmet impact triggered a series of debilitating migraine headaches that sidelined him for good.

“When I got that hit I knew I had a concussion,” he said. “I remember getting up just not feeling right. I noticed my vision was doubled and I had a terrible headache. It was hard for me to balance.”

He took a break from football, but the effects started to impact other areas of his life, primarily school. He became highly sensitized to light, and the headaches were unbearable some days.

“The headaches were getting progressively worse,” his mom said. “He was having trouble remembering his assignments and had difficulty concentrating. There were some days he couldn’t even get out of bed to go to school.”

His parents then launched an extensive search for answers in their community of Tinton Falls, New Jersey, near the shore, consulting with specialists in neurology, orthopedics, acupuncture, nutrition, physical therapy and even consulted a child psychologist. But the headaches continued and his performance in school worsened. Throughout those visits, no one had ordered an MRI.

It wasn’t until they saw a sports medicine physician specialized in concussion that Logan had an MRI. It found something unexpected.

The advanced imaging revealed Logan had an arteriovenous malformation, or AVM, a tangle of blood vessels in the occipital–parietal area of the brain. Realizing neurosurgery may be needed, Logan and his family sought out the No. 1 ranked experts in the nation: ���ϸ����� Langone’s .

“From the second we met the team at ���ϸ����� Langone, we knew we were in the right place,” Becky said. “We didn’t need a second opinion. It was amazing to feel that level of comfort.”

Logan consulted with both Howard A. Riina, MD, the Lucius N. Littauer Professor of Neurosurgery, vice chair of clinical affairs for the Department of Neurosurgery and director of the Center for Stroke and Neurovascular Diseases, and Douglas Kondziolka, MD, the Gray Family Professor of Neurosurgery, vice chair of clinical research in the Department of Neurosurgery, and director of the Gamma Knife Program, to explore options: either conventional brain surgery to remove the AVM, or a minimally invasive stereotactic radiosurgery using Gamma Knife technology.

Logan and his parents ultimately decided on having the AVM surgically removed by Dr. Riina and his team using an image-guided craniotomy technique for precision. The surgery, performed on July 17, 2024, went smoothly and Logan was discharged back home after three days of observation in ���ϸ����� Langone’s Kimmel Pavilion.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to care for Logan and get him back to a better quality of life,” said Dr. Riina. “We are fortunate to have the tools and expertise available to us at ���ϸ����� Langone to solve even the most complex of neurosurgical conditions. It’s wonderful to see this young man enjoying his youth once more.”

Ten months after the surgery, Logan, now 16, says his headaches are gone, he’s training to play football again and he’s excelling in school.

“The whole experience was a fork in the road for me that I had to get through,” he said. “I put my faith in God. I trusted my doctors, and my family and friends were there with me all along the way. I am looking forward to the football season and enjoying my summer.”

The relief his parents feel now that he is through this difficult period in his life could not be understated. His parents just wish they could have had the right expertise from the start to avoid months of anguish.

“I really want it to get out there that AVMs can cause headaches like he had, and that ordering that MRI made all the difference,” she says. “From feeling so terrible and helpless as a parent to now see this turnaround—seeing him doing the things he loves, things he thought he may never be able to do again, is just incredible. We are so grateful.”

Logan is focused on staying healthy, training regularly in the gym, and looking to return to the gridiron this summer. He wants to get the word out about the risks of concussion and understanding the signs and symptoms he experienced. He’s hopeful others can learn from what he went through.

“I’m leaving that time in my life in the past,” he said, “and focusing on a new beginning.”

Media Inquiries

Colin DeVries
212-404-3588
Colin.DeVries@���ϸ�����Langone.org