Victor in Zambia
As a young, 18-year-old mother with clubfoot, Edna and her mother Brenda were heart-broken when Edna?s son, Victor, was also born with clubfoot. Seeing what her daughter goes through daily, Brenda knew what struggles her grandson would be facing with the disability.
?I was very disappointed when I found out she was pregnant,? Brenda said. ?It has been hard raising a child with a disability and I could not imagine raising a baby. I have no job and therefore we struggle to get basic food. You can imagine how I felt when the baby was born and I saw his feet folded together.?
Brenda and Edna narrate their story while Brenda holds Victor
Like many people in Africa, Brenda did not realize a simple treatment using a series of plaster casts was available for clubfoot so she never sought help for Edna. Fortunately, the midwives at the hospital where Victor was born knew to direct Edna and Brenda to Lusaka, Zambia, where Hope Walks has two partner treatment facilities. Clubfoot was not the only challenge Victor faced at birth. He also suffered a fractured leg during the birthing process.
Victor?s feet before treatment
Edna takes a break after a long day
Life has been difficult for Brenda, a single mom living in the rural areas of the country. Life has not been easy for Edna either, who is very shy and quiet, often being bullied because of her clubfoot.
But out of a life of difficulty, this family of three now has a new hope for the future. Once Victor?s fracture heals at Beit Cure Hospital they will be able to begin the Ponseti method of clubfoot treatment to correct Victor?s clubfoot, an opportunity never presented to Edna.
?We have come a long way. We are happy to be here and we are happy that such a treatment exists. We are grateful that he will get the treatment that he deserves,? Brenda said.