Kayron in Mozambique
Waiting for the birth of your child can be joyful, but it also can be stressful for expecting mothers. For Elisa in Mozambique, family issues added extra burden on her, causing her to give birth to her son Kayron prematurely at seven months. That’s when she found out he also had clubfoot, adding to her stress.
Things seemed dark for this mom. Still, the medical staff immediately told her about clubfoot and that trained clinicians could treat her son at the Hope Walks partner clinic at the Central Hospital of Maputo using the Ponseti method of casts and braces. All she needed was a doctor’s referral. This news calmed Elisa.
However, getting a doctor’s referral was not easy. She returned to the clinic twice, where she gave birth, but could not get an appointment. Frustrated, she gave up and decided to have her son treated at that clinic. Staff applied casts for four weeks to straighten the feet and finally referred Elisa to Maputo because they believed they finished healing Kayron and did not have the braces her son needed to maintain the correct alignment.
Even without medical training, Elisa could tell something was still wrong with her son’s feet. A mother just knows. Hope Walks Parent Advisor Francisco warmly greeted Elisa and Kayron at the Maputo clinic on their first visit and introduced her to other families with successfully treated children. He confirmed her fears about Kayron’s feet but assured her everything would be fine.
Casting would need to start again on Kayron’s feet, but now medical staff properly trained in the Ponseti method would apply the casts. Today, Kayron’s feet are straightened correctly, and he is learning to walk on straight feet.
“It’s a true miracle from God,” Elisa said. “I’m happy to see my son healed. I thank God for the blessings, and I ask that he continues to use you to bring joy back to the families that come to you.”
Before
Casting
After