Zoe's Bilateral Clubfoot Surgery Fund

Our daughter Zoe was born with bilateral clubfoot. I remember being so scared and worried about what treatment would entail. Would our baby girl be in pain? Would she heal properly? How would we afford it? Also selfishly, why us? I already have a son that has Kleinfelters Syndrome (XXY boy), with severe asthma, he has his own specific needs and treatment plan. I remember thinking why my children? After a period of adjustment, crying, anxiety. We got to work. I set out to find the best clubfoot specialist, and I did! We found Dr.Dobbs the best in the entire world, located in STL. Zoe started her treatment at 14 days old. We drove to STL every Friday and every Monday multiple weeks for accelerated casting on Zoe’s legs and feet. I pumped in the car, while still recovering from my C section and healing from high blood pressure. After the removal of her final serial cast, she had her tendons snipped and was put in a 4 week cast. Our baby was put under general anesthesia. We were a mess! All went well. Once she was done with the casting process she moved into special boots with a bar between to keep her feet in an over-corrected outward position to reduce the chances of relapse. We did this until the age of 4 (February 2022). This summer Zoe was walking down the hall and I noticed her right foot seemed liked it was turning inward. It nagged at me. Zoe’s specialist is now located in West Palm Beach, Florida. We did a Skype appointment. My suspicion of relapse was confirmed (2 out of 10 clubfoot cases result in relapse). The plan this time looks a little different. Beginning February 13th we will need to stay in Florida intermittently for a time period 6-10 weeks. Joseph will be staying behind in the care of family. Zoe will have 3 full leg casts (one every week for 3 weeks), then she will have a tendon transfer surgery. She will be put into non weight baring full leg casts for 4 weeks. After she has her casts removed, she will transition to leg braces and participate in physical therapy to learn how to walk using her full body weight. To say we are overwhelmed would be an understatement. We’ve cried, and we’ve had anxiety. We are trying to be positive. Despite the overwhelming uncertainty, we know how incredibly lucky we are. Brian and I appreciate everyone’s concern and support.