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A camera, a kickball match and cerebral palsy: How this Paulding County boy went viral on TikTok with his grandma

After creating a hit TikTok channel, 17-year-old Logan Echols and his grandmother Paulette Echols are seeing some serious social media success.

PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. — A dynamic duo in Paulding County is lighting up the internet. 

Logan and Paulette "Boo" Echols have close to half a million followers on TikTok and some of their videos have 10 million likes. The grandmother and grandson duo wants to use the video-sharing platform to teach everyone about inclusion and acceptance for people of every ability. 

Logan Echols has cerebral palsy but it doesn't stop him from having a huge smile on his face. Behind the camera, his grandmother is smiling too. Their positivity is infectious and people all over the world are taking notice.

The 17-year-old has become a bit of a celebrity at South Paulding High School as he's gone viral on the internet.

"What is there not to admire?" his grandmother, affectionately known as "Boo" said. "His zest for life. He gets up every day and no matter what he has to face, he's going to conquer it every day, every day."

Boo just might be his biggest fan. She's also the camera operator of their smash TikTok profile, Logan and Boo

"He wanted to share the fact that cerebral palsy is simply just a word," she said. "And nothing can stop him or any of these kids here or anywhere else."

Logan asked Boo to help start the TikTok channel during COVID-19 lockdowns. He said a lot of people with disabilities were isolated and felt alone, so he wanted to cheer them up. 

"Don't ever give up. If you have a dream, don't let somebody tell you that you can't do it -- ever," she said.

Logan's dream is to spread the message of kindness and inclusion so everyone feels welcome at school. 

That -- and to dominate at kickball. 

@loganandboo

Joe!! @frost_airshow_team IT IS ON! Between now and Feb 16th WE WILL SEE THE INSIDE OF THAT FIREHOUSE!!! #gameon #TeamofTomorrow #DIYwithBlock

♬ Oh No - Kreepa

"I came across Logan on TikTok four or five months ago and I followed him because he was such a positive kid and he made me laugh," said Paulding County firefighter Joe Sarber. 

He saw how much Logan loved kickball, so he asked Boo if their department could challenge the teen and the kids in his class to a game. 

"It was supposed to be just a small thing, but thanks to TikTok and social media, it exploded and it's been a great deal of fun for all of us," Sarber said. 

The teams got t-shirts, medals and huge posters with Logan's face on them. 

The whole school got in on the fun and there were dozens of videos back and forth before the game. 

Videos of the game exploded on social media, getting hundreds of thousands of likes. 

@loganandboo

When you make a video saying " YOU WANNA GO JOE? "Joe the fireman will sticker up your classroom, bus and HOUSE! #WAR #mcdonaldshacks #DIYwithBlock

♬ original sound - Logan Echols

Behind the scenes, Boo said it inspired a lot of people, too. 

"Sharing some of the messages we've received. People just want to give up. They don't have a reason to go any further in their life. And they see Logan and they're like, 'man, he gets up and he makes it happen every day," said Paulette. 

But Logan stays humble and he doesn't believe his own hype. 

"They send her the messages and I just do the TikTok videos," he said. 

And he says he'll keep doing them because his message matters. 

"You simply get up every day and face what? Face my fears," he said. 

As for the final score of that kickball game? Firefighters 20 and South Paulding High School 24, with the victory going to Logan and his team.

They didn't just win the game, but also the hearts of everyone who watched the joy it brought to these kids to not only be included but celebrated for exactly who they are.


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