Here's a lovely post reblogged from "through my porthole" . . .
Serah was a longed-for daughter, but her grandmother burst into
heart-broken tears at her birth. Counting her ten little toes should
have been a delight, but a birth abnormality that twisted Serah’s feet
at right-angles stole their joy. In their experience this was a life
sentence – a child born with club feet grew into an adult with club
feet. It took Serah’s mother Sandrine three days to gather the courage
to look at her beautiful daughter’s feet. Her father agonised over his
newborn’s limited options for the future.
Thankfully, a Malagasy midwife was able to convince them help was on
it’s way. She knew Mercy Ships is able to correct this condition, and
that the hospital ship was returning to Madagascar for a second field
service. When they received Serah’s appointment, Sandrine was
overwhelmed with relief. She grasped her baby and danced around her
garden!
When I met Serah and Sandrine yesterday, they were still full of
smiles. For about 6 weeks now Serah has been receiving free Ponseti
treatment to correct the position of her feet. It is a most incredible process that
permanently changes the angle of the baby’s foot through a series of
leg casts, which are left on for a week each. A nick to the Achilles
tendon, a finial 3-week cast (and night braces for a few years
afterwards) produce a virtually painless and 98% effective, life-long
result for the babies. Before they even learn to walk, their feet are
straight and strong.
Serah will never remember the disability she was born with, but her parents will never forget what her future could have been.
P.S. The Ponseti method, which Mercy Ships is teaching to local
physical therapists, can only be performed on children under 3 years.
Older children are treated with orthopaedic surgery and casting to
correct their condition.
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