Amy C's Story
I was born with bilateral clubfeet and within twenty four hours of being born, was fitted with casts. I wore the casts, which were changed weekly (not just because i outgrew them - i wore them out at the toes and knees) for the next nine months. Then I was switched into the Dennis Brown bar shoes for two months. In mid to late August of '85, they took me out of the shoes. They left me out of my shoes until my surgery in the beginning of October. My beloved doctor clipped my tendons and repaired some bones that weren't quite how they should be. I suspect it was a variation on the Ponsetti method, but since I have some horrific scarring, I doubt it was the pure method.
I was walking by May of '86. Granted, I was wobbly and my father and I did physio until my next surgery in 1992, but I walked.
In 1992, I had to have another surgery on my right foot. Being in the first grade, I got a special desk and someone to walk with me to the bathroom to make sure I didn't fall, but other than that, I got no special attention. My mother has told me that she had to fight to get what I did, so I'm happy she did. On the plus side, I got really good at moving along quickly on crutches. We have pictures of me with the Easter Bunny and my big blue cast and walking boot.
Fast forward through years upon years of walking miles for Girl Scout Cookie sales, years of playing softball and general playing with all the guys in the neighborhood (tell you what, it's hard to keep up with a bunch of boys when you're limping!), I'm in college, doing college theatrics, karate, jazz and hiphop dance and running. Yes, it hurts like the dickens, but the fact that I can do all of this makes it all the better.
Here's hoping I can keep going without anymore surgery.
Comments
Add your comment
Simply complete this form to add a comment.