My name is Danny. I was born in 1951 with severe bilateral club foot. Staring very early I had casting and 6 surgeries on my feet. They are shorter than normal and not quite the same size. I wore the brace 23 hours a day when small and leg braces till I was about 8 and orthopedic shoes after that. At about 10 or 11 I got my first “real” shoes and have never looked back.
My lower legs and calves are smaller than normal so I was always shy about wearing shorts. I always practiced walking normal. I water skied, played football, karate and anything else I could try.The school wouldn’t let me wrestle for liability reasons. At about 40 I started to have pains that got more constant. My knees and hips started to hurt. Found out arthritis took hold. I had surgery to fuse parts of my right foot and ankle 7 plates and 13 screws. Didn’t help the pain and now I have an inflexible foot.
But, all in all had a great life so far and wouldn’t change much. The problems made me a better person. So if you are young don’t hold back and do anything you want it’s worth it.
