A Clubfoot Mom

Our cutie has officially graduated from her BnB and I talk about how the end came about in an unexpected way. I talk about how we made the decision to keep bracing until 5 and about how our cutie reacted when we told her she didn't have to wear her BnB anymore.

In this episode I speak with Semeda, a company based in Germany who creates products for clubfoot treatment. I speak with Harald, Andrea, and Artur a team from Semeda about a wide range of topics pertaining to clubfoot. We discuss the unique challenges clubfoot treatment faces in Europe and where the company sees clubfoot treatment headed in the future. Since we were speaking over seas and they we...

In a previous episode I talk about how important it is to advocate for your child on the clubfoot treatment journey, but now I am exploring why it is important to advocate for your needs as a parent as well. We hear time and time again that in pediatric care the parents wellness is vital to the wellness of the child they are caring for, and part of that parental wellness is the parents getting wha...

While watching my cutie play at an indoor play place recently, I realized how zeroed in I am on not just my cutie's feet but all kiddo feet. I talk about my experience watching other kiddos walk, run and jump and wonder what other parents, with non-clubfoot kids, think about this. I will always be over analytical of her feet, but this clubfoot journey has made me analytical of all feet.

Katie Taylor is simply amazing, I can't explain the impact she has had on my and my cutie's life, and I am so excited to share her with you. We have a great conversation about what Child Life Specialists do and how they empower parents on their child's medical treatment journey. Katie is the CEO and Founder of Child Life On Call, which is working to expand access to Child Life Specialists to more...

Socks, socks, and more socks. Sock talk is pervasive amongst clubfoot parents, because these aren't your typical socks. So many parents ask for recommendations about the best socks for their clubfoot cutie's and the truth is, it depends on your cutie. In this episode, I talk about experience with finding appropriate socks, what was helpful and what wasn't.

One of the biggest unknowns for us when we started BnB was how to know when it was time to switch boot sizes. It might seem intuitive, but it can come with a lot of different input and information from sources that can sometimes cause confusion. This episode talks about how we handled switching boot sizes, from knowing when it was time to move to the next size up and the plan we had to make that s...

In this episode I talk about our approach to stretching and PT for our cutie, from the onset of BnB to what we plan to do when she graduates from her BnB nightly wear. This is all information derived from our own experience and are not recommendations.

In this episode I explore my feelings of regret during my cutie's clubfoot treatment. I talk about the things I regret specific to her treatment but also personal regrets. I attempt to take the exploration a step further to think about what I have learned from those feelings of regret. Hopefully the clubfoot parents listening can find some solace or similarity in my experiences.

As my cutie nears the end of treatment I find myself unexpectedly panicked. In this episode I talk about my mixed emotions about nearing the end of her BnB, excitement and unexpected fear. Why am I freaking out when the finish line is so close in sight? I keep it real about how I am feeling about it all.

Klaire Harvey is a clubfoot mom who lives in the UK and started her own charity Head2Toe to raise awareness for correct clubfoot treatment. Klaire shares her daughter, Elise's, clubfoot journey, how is had a tumultuous start, which sometimes limits what she shares with families in fear that it will scare them. I found our conversation to be honest and enlightening and encourage you to listen to he...

Dr. Nitza Rodriguez is an adult and pediatric foot and ankle specialist at Southern California Foot & Ankle Specialists, and a PIA Ponseti Certified Clubfoot Doctor. Dr, Rodriguez is well known in the clubfoot community for deeply caring about her patients. In this episode we discuss why Dr. Rodriguez was drawn to clubfoot treatment, her personal relationship with Dr. Ponseti, and where she th...

Sarah Maxwell is currently holds the title of Miss Veteran's Day New Jersey 2023 and an adult living with clubfoot. I first heard Sarah's story through social media and was inspired by her story and the way she spreads awareness of clubfoot. In this episode, Sarah talks about experience participating in the Miss America sponsorship competitions, how her clubfoot has impacted her journey, and how s...

This episode features the incomparable Dr. John Herzenberg, the Director, International Center for Limb Lengthening, and Head of Pediatric Orthopedics, Sinai Hospital, and Clinical Professor and UMMS. If you are a listener of this podcast you will recognize Dr. Herzenberg's name because of the podcast where I tell you about my experience putting on a clubfoot cast with him. He truly is a champion...

This episode is a departure from many of the episodes you will hear on this podcast. I never thought I would publish this episode, but after some encouragement, I figured I would be vulnerable and speak it out into the world. It isn't polished and put together like most of my episodes attempt to be, you can even hear my kids monitors in the background. Thanks for listening and letting me keep it r...

In this episode I talk about about gift ideas for clubfoot cuties at different stages in of treatment: newly diagnosed in utero, casting/infant, toddler, and gift ideas for your clubfoot parents. With the holiday season officially upon on us, I wanted to give some ideas of gifts we received and loved, and gifts we wish we would have gotten. Note: this is not an endorsement for any product, just op...

If you are a member of the clubfoot community in the US you are bound to come across 26th Ave Clubfoot Essentials which is owned and operated solely by Brooke Keller. Brooke is a fellow clubfoot mom who started her business of creating accessories for clubfoot items like bar covers and boot covers to bring joy to clubfoot families. We talk about how Brooke came up with the idea for her bar covers...

Shannon O’Shea is an ABC-certified prosthetist/orthotist and the Area Clinic Manager and National Clinical Specialist: Pediatrics for Hanger Clinic. As a strong believer in education, Shannon is passionate about ensuring families feel comfortable with, and supported throughout, their care journey. Shannon and I discuss what exactly an orthotist is and the role they play during clubfoot treatment....

In this episode I talk about the routine we set up for our Cutie's frequent blood draws for her ITP. Similar to the BnB nightly routine, we wanted to set up a consistent routine to make each blood draw as successful as possible. I talk about our whole routine and the ways in which we advocated for her throughout the process. Hope you find it helpful!

Jessica Patay is the founder of We Are Brave Together and mom to a medically complex child. We Are Brave Together might sound familiar because it is the organization that hosts the Virtual Support Group for Moms of Clubfoot Cutie, and I wanted to introduce you to Jessica because she is such an incredible advocate for her child but also for moms. She started We Are Brave Together with the intention...

Your child's clubfoot diagnosis comes with a lot more than figuring out the treatment path and all of it's logistics, it is a lot to emotionally process as well. So much of what I hear from families with clubfoot cuties is about the moment of diagnosis and all the subsequent emotions that went with it. In this episode, I open up about my emotional response to our cutie's diagnosis and encourage li...

I became a huge fan of Vedant and his family before I ever had the chance to meet them. I watched Vedant's interview with his clubfoot doctor, Dr. Lim, and was so impressed by him and his story. Vedant and his parents talk about their clubfoot journey, accessing treatment, the social stigma of clubfoot, and their Mt. Kilimanjaro Climb fundraising event benefiting MiracleFeet. It was such an honor...

In this episode I speak with Karen Moss, a clubfoot mom and Founder and Executive Director of Steps Charity. Karen talks about making the decision to travel from South Africa to Iowa to have her son treated by Dr. Ponseti himself and how that was the precursor to everything that happened after. Karen is an amazing clubfoot advocate whose organization's vision is to improve the lives of children bo...

In this episode I share our cutie's journey with ITP (immune thrombocytopenia), a rare autoimmune disorder that causes low platelet counts. I have discussed our cutie having a new diagnosis prior, but never illuminated exactly what it was until now. I chose today to release this podcast for two reasons, the first being a celebration that our daughter's platelet numbers have reached remission level...

Chesca Colloredo-Mansfeld is Co-Founder and CEO of the nonprofit oganization MiracleFeet, which helps provide treatment for clubfoot children by increasing access to care through partnerships with local healthcare. Chesca talks about how MiracleFeet got started, what she sees as their biggest challenge in clubfoot treatment, and how listeners can get involved in their mission. I give a little insi...