Kathie Chiu's Story
i have club feetWow, what a great site you've put together.
I was born with both feet severely clubbed. I've seen the xrays they took of my little tiny feet and the bones were all in a little ball and several bones were either completely undeveloped or else missing entirely. I had two surgeries, many manipulations and casts until I was one year old. Apparantly this did not hold me back - I walked back and forth on the chesterfield in my casts and the day I got them off I not only began to walk, but I rode my first tricycle that I got for a birthday present! After that, I wore the special braces - all day and night until I was three and then only at night until I was five.
Having club feet has been a bit of a "pain" - the teasing of the extremely skinny legs made worse by ugly, flat and misshaped feet. Also, I developed arthritis in my big toes that meant the bone had to be scraped to allow for flexibility. They still don't bend well!
Did it hold me back? Not one bit, I argued for "party" shoes and won sometimes, I ran and jumped and climbed with all the kids. After I had that operation on my toes as a teenager, I tried out for the basketball team with my casts on, made the team and then the day after the casts came off, I played first string centre in the first game of the season. We won of course!
Today, however, there is a price I'm now paying for not listening to my mom about proper shoes, really pounding the heck out of them with excessive sports activities and insisting on dancing with high heels on! I'm in pain most of the time and it's been recommended that I need further surgery to reconstruct and fuse some of the bones in the ankle. I've been on the waiting list for over 2 years to see a specialist - there are only two of them in BC that specialize in feet and ankles.
So, who knows what will happen. I can no longer do sports, walk long distances or shop in the mall for very long. I cannot wear certain shoes and must rest my feet often. However, my life is still full and I've never given up. I have five children to be a good example to!
By the way, for all you moms out there - none of my five children had club feet and none of my grandchildren had it either!
God is very good!
Kathie
Added on 27 May 2006
Comments
All times are in GMT -04:00Comment added by Helen Moss on the Sun 22 July 2007 a 05:04am
Hi i am 34yrs old and was born with club feet. I have always been embarrassed because of my skinny legs and never wear skirts or dresses. Recently I have been experiencing a lot or pain in my feet and back and just wondering if this is related to my condition.