Katharine Houston's Story
i have club feetHi, my name is Katharine. I’m a 33 year old semi-actress (aka, I have a day job) living in NYC, and like all people born with clubfoot, my story is personal and unique. I was born with Bilateral Metatarsus Varus and Bilateral Clubfeet. As it goes with many, I was also the worst case of Clubfeet my Doctors had ever worked on. My father said it looked like both my lower legs and feet were on backwards. Starting from birth I had multiple castings and wore the shoes with the bar. Manipulation was not going to be enough, so at 14 months and at 6 years of age, I had surgeries on both my feet. Both times, two Doctors simultaneously operated on each foot. On one level these surgeries were a success. My feet were straight and I was able to walk. What the Doctors failed to correct were the tops of my feet. The bones on the top of my feet were permanently curve like a lower case “n“. It looked as if my feet were trying to bend in half. It seems like the Doctors never fixed the bones from their Metatarsus Varus positioning.
After the first two bilateral surgeries, my right foot had good positioning, stability and flexibility. It had the bump on top, but that was about it. My left foot was always considered my worst foot. The bones on the top of my foot curved to a bump similar to my right foot. However, the left foot’s bump was more pronounced. It always seemed as if my foot was going to roll over to the outside. When I was 11, I had my third surgery on my left foot. My right foot was left alone. This surgery rebuilt my heel so the foot would not “roll overâ€. When I was getting my cast removed, I was so excited to see my new foot. The disappointment when the foot came out with the bump still there was numbing.
For the next 17 years I was surgery free. I dealt with people staring at my feet by creating a thick skin and a sharp sense of humor. Life can be laughed at.
When I was 28, I decided to have another surgery on my left foot. I finally took the step to lower the bump. I still considered my right foot my “good foot†so left the bump alone. The Doctor cut into and repositioned my metatarsal bones. He fused the bone by putting a bar and five screws in for support. When the cast came off, I had a completely new foot. The bump was gone. It was one of the best days of my life. Unfortunately, I ended up hindering my recovery by doing too much too fast. I was in the process of creating a new show with the performance group I have worked with for the past 8 years. With rehearsals and film shoots, I broke three of the five screws in my foot. Most of the bone was already healed, so this was not too much of an issue. However, there was one section of bone that never fused properly. I was also aware that when the swelling went down in my foot, I could actually feel and see some of the hardware under my skin. Bleck. All I knew is that I wanted it out. So, four years later and only seven months ago, I had my fifth surgery on my left foot. They removed the hardware and sealed the hole that never originally healed. I came out of surgery not feeling any foreign objects in my foot and with only two screws. I feel like the surgery was a total success and really only a continuation from the one four years ago. The process was long and very painful. What I have also come to learn is that even though my one foot might look more “normal†now, I will always have arthritis in my joints and swelling from overuse. The realization that my good foot, my right foot, is now actually my bad foot is kind of crazy to wrap my mind around. These last two surgeries took a lot out of me. I don’t want to go through it again. I have accepted that my right foot will never change, the toes on my left foot will always be curved, and I will never be a foot model. Who really needs stilettos?
Added on 26 Nov 2008