checkLogin() function

function checkLogin() {
    // echo avatar, certain nav elements!!
    echo '
    <div class="navbar-right">
       <!-- icons -->
       <img src="http://i.imgur.com/HD6W7XJ.png" class="icon-search" alt="search-icon" />

       <a href="#p1">
         <span class="icon-bars-button">
            <span class="icon-bar"></span>
            <span class="icon-bar"></span>
            <span class="icon-bar"></span>
         </span>
       </a>

       <div class="page" id="p1-page">
        <div id="shell">
          <strong>ONE</strong>
          <p>Know when you go to link two I will be covered behind panel 2.</p>

          <button>close</button>
        </div>
       </div>

    ';

    $username = $_SESSION['username'];

    // run query to get users avatar - Only select the columns you need.
    $sql = "SELECT avatar FROM users WHERE username = :username";
    $getAvatar = dbConnect()->prepare($sql);
    $parameters = array(':username' => $username);
    // execute query
    $getAvatar->execute($parameters);

    // Check to see if rowCount returned any data
    if($getAvatar->rowCount()) {

        // Loop the data in a while loop and create/ append the variable $row to the while loop.
        while($row = $getAvatar->fetch(PDO::FETCH_ASSOC)) {

          // set $avatar as users set avatar
          $avatar = $row['avatar']; // This data should be escaped.

          if(empty($avatar)) {

              // echo default avatar...
              echo '<img src="http://i.imgur.com/QFxs0nX.png" class="user_avatar" alt="default avatar" />';

          // if user has set an avatar:
          } else {

              // echo set avatar...
              echo '<img src="includes/uploads/avatar/' .$avatar. '" class="user_avatar" alt="' .$username. ' avatar" />';

          }

        }
  }
  // check for errors logging in...
  //checkLoginErrors();
}