There?s an island off the northern shores of Honduras named Roatan. It?s where Erick?s family lives. Usually, children born with clubfoot in remote locations like Roatan have little chance of finding treatment, but that wasn?t the case for Erick. He was able to receive early clubfoot treatment from a local public hospital.
This would have been an ideal situation for him and his family, but no one ever fully explained the treatment process?a process that begins with several long, specifically formed, plaster casts. So when Erick came home from the hospital with casts up to his thighs, his father, Arturo, thought the doctors must have gotten something terribly wrong. Arturo decided to take the casts off himself and started looking for help off the island.
Meanwhile, a missionary on the island took notice of Erick?s condition and tried to find help herself. She ended up connecting with Andrew, our Regional Director for Latin America, and after many phone calls and emails we were finally able to connect with Arturo. We listened to his concerns and helped explain the treatment process that had once seemed so backwards and confusing.
Now, almost two years later, Erick is in the maintenance phase of treatment. He is walking normally on two straight feet and only needs to wear his brace at night. His parents are thrilled?especially Arturo, who didn?t have to do any at-home cast removals this time around.