Sophia's Story

hi my name is charlotte im from ireland and me and my twin sister were born with severe club feet....what annoys me the most is that nobody understands the pain we have to go through everyday...we cant wear normal shoes like all the other girls in our school...and we are made do pe , walk long distances and stand for a long time....the pain is unreal!! there is no circulation in our feet either... and the inside of our legs stick out.... we are really fed up! xxxxxxxxx

hello im 16 years old and i have both my feet clubbed. They were fixed though when i born but i had casts on my feet till i was 4. I have some memories and i know i dont have a lot because ive surpressed them. I recently found a journal from when i was young where i wrote down the memories i had from my clubbed feet and i wished i never read it. theres a reason why you dont want to remember the things that happened. I also have scars on my both my feet but i dont hide them there isnt a reason to reall i dont find it a big deal. Hardly anyone i know notices them and if they do they dont ask. I cant point my feet and i cant wear high heels which sucks because im on the shorter side. Despite all the negativity i am a good runner and i play varcity sports with my school. You really should talk to your mom about it i have when i was younger but i havent in years and the worse part is i found out that a beileved reason for the cause of clubbed feet is smoking...and my father quit smoking the day i was born. I dont think theres any differences between me and anyone else im like a normal kid.

Hi my name is Orlaith and I have a severe case of clubed foot which effects both feet. Always was told it was inherited. However no one else in my family has had it. As i am pregnant with my first I was so relieved to discover at the 21 wk scan that my daughter doesnt have it either. I myself have had over 40 surgeries on both feet and although they will never be perfect and i hate the scars i have been lucky enough to have great surgeons do their work on me and thankfully they are no longer as painful as they used to be. its gr8 to read everyones stories here as sometimes it feels like you are the only one in the world who has clubed foot. For any parent out there who has a child with this i would recommend that they try every surgery available regardless of how painful as it helps longterm. Also if you can get involved with groups or forums like this one so that you or your child do not feel alone. Just to also say it has never held me back in my life and i married the man of my dreams (even with all the scars he doesnt mind) i have a very sucessful carrer and i am pregnant with our first child who does not have clubed foot confirmed at the 21 wk scan (many surgeons told me if i had a child my case of clubed foot is so severe it would almost be a certainty any child i would have would also have it) So hope this story like all the others here help people with clubed foot or help parents of children with clubed foot to see that while its a painfull challenge at times it is not the worst thing that can happen and people with clubed foot even very severe cases of it go on to have gr8 lives. good luck be happy Orlaith (Dublin)

Hi Sophia, My name is Patricia an I am from malaysia. my son is 5 and a half month old and was born with club feet. He has been treated with serial casting since he was 2 days old and is still undergoing the treatment. Eventhough his legs condition has shown some improvement, the doctor said that his legs still need to be operated because casting alone will not "heal" his legs fully. as a mother, i am concern about the operation. i'm worried that the operations might not be succesful or my son will be in pain due to the operation. However, i also wondered of my son's future if i don't let him having the operation. I wondered how will his life be. There are many people, telling me that his legs will heal by themselves even without the surgery but i am also sceptical of that. So, your story is an inspiration for me. You said that that you would kill one day for the scar you have and that might be something that my son will do if we don't let him get the operation now. Thank you for your story which has mean a lot to me.

I was born in South Africa in 1955 with both club feet. The doctor immediately treated the problem with plaster casts and I have had no problems at all. I have run 2 ultra-marathons and many 42.2 km marathons.

omgosh!!! i h8 my scars 2!!!! they drive me insain!! did ur feet ever hurt REALLY bad whenever "the weathers changed" do they still hurt like that now? just curious for my future! =] ok thnxx! byee

Hi I was premature and was born with club feet. I can walk fine, but if I over exert myself I have a lot of pain. Every once in a while when I walk my one foot turns in. My legs appear thinner. I am greatful I can walk, but was wondering if there have been any improvements with this. Is there any Doctor or hospital in the NY area or facility that anyone can recommend. My ankles are weak and I chipped a bone in the past. I don't want to have any more operations. I had a number as a child. I am an adult now and I can be pretty active but once in a while I have issues. Any suggestions especially for women's dress shoes, and the Doctors.

hello sophia just like to say thank you you made me smile as my daugheramy is 13 now she as born with club feet too she had 3 ops on her feet but she in a lot of pain now with her right foot she going for 4th op this year i no life is hard but see storeys like your and others its just give us hope thank you christine take care xx

To: Stacey Hale. Bring Your child to the Shriners Hospital. They are all over America. It is free and they are the best with clubfeet. You can call any Mason's Lodge and get a sponsor if you need one. I promise you they will help oyu child. I also have clubfeet and they helped me.

I am 30 weeks pregnant and recenlty found out that my baby is going to be born with bilateral clubbed feet. At first I was so scared for him. I thought to myself, "My baby won't be normal." I have some time to think about it. You know God is not going to give anyone a child that they can't handle. I have two other children and they were born fine. I thank GOD everyday that that is the only thing that is wrong with my baby. His feet can be fixed.

Hi Sophia, My name is Bonnie, left club foot, 44 years old, and had 8 surgeries. I don't understand how your mom didn't converse with you, and when did you have surgery? I was born in San Francisco, California, and have been told that I benefitted from a great surgeon. Thanks to him and his wonderful demeanor, along with the strength of my mother, I felt special! But I also know the hardship of the playground, fitting of shoes (yeah right!), and later rejection from men. I am happily married to a wonderful man who loves every inch of me. I never had children believing that my condition was heriditary, as it may well be in my case. I know this is long, but I am telling some about me, so that perhaps you will tell me more about you. Some questions that I have are: where were you born, how old are you, and is your mother still living. I would hope that if she is, she would be more forth coming with you about your earlier health issues. Thanks for your story Sophia! Bonnie