A Clubfoot Mom
Feeling overwhelmed with your cutie’s clubfoot diagnosis? Is the BnB transition harder than you thought? Need some basic clubfoot treatment information? This is the podcast for you! I have been there, am still there, and discuss all topics clubfoot related. A mixture of short and sweet episodes and conversations with other clubfoot parents, medical professionals, and members of the clubfoot community, this is the only podcast dedicated to clubfoot available. My goal is to provide resources and information for everyone on the treatment journey.
I love the opportunity to talk with other clubfoot people, although it can be difficult to find a quiet time and place to record in the chaos of my household. Shout out to my talented brother, Conor Murphy, for all the high-tech editing I could never dream of doing.
Please reach out if you are interested in sharing your story or have a particular topic you would like hear about!
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Gift Ideas for Clubfoot Cuties
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.
Brooke Keller: 26th Ave Clubfoot Essentials
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 and how her business expanded through social media and the clubfoot community. Brooke is simply amazing and I can not wait for you to hear her story and to learn about all the products she makes for clubfoot cuties everywhere. https://26thaveclubfootessentials.com/
Shannon O'Shea: The Orthotist's Role in Clubfoot Treatment
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. We talk about how important parent education is to empower parents to feel successful and how the relationship between the orthotist and the parent can play a major part in helping parents feel confident bracing at home. Shannon talks about the importance of asking questions and reaching out for help when needed. Shannon was an absolute joy to speak with and I am very grateful that she was able to be guest on the podcast today. https://hangerclinic.com/pediatrics/
Blood Draw Routine
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: We Are Brave Together
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 to encouraging and serving caregiving moms everywhere through support groups, workshops, and retreats to help moms feel recharged and empowered on their caregiver journeys. I am so grateful to Jessica for being a guest on the podcast but also for all the work she has done to support moms everywhere. https://www.wearebravetogether.org/support-groups
Emotional Response to Clubfoot Diagnosis
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 listeners to think about their own emotions surrounding the diagnosis as well.
Clubfoot Warrior Vedant's Mt. Kilimanjaro Climb
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 to host this incredible family on the podcast and I know you all will enjoy it just as much as I did.
Karen Moss: Founder and Executive Director of Steps Charity and Clubfoot Mom
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 born with clubfoot, and they do just that. Karen talks about the main pillars of their organization and their upcoming conference in South Africa in November. I am so grateful to Karen for being a guest on the podcast and hope that you enjoy this episode as much as I did.
Our Cutie’s ITP and Clubfoot Journey
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 levels and second it is go purple for platelet's day in culmination of September being ITP Awareness month. I break the episode into a few different sections:
My struggle on when and how much of her ITP journey to share
Our explanation of ITP and experience with being diagnosis
How ITP impacted her clubfoot treatment
Our amazing experience with PDSA (Platelet Disorder Support Association)https://pdsa.org/
MiracleFeet with Checsa Colloredo-Mansfeld
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 insight into our personal experience fundraising for MiracleFeet as well. A huge thank you to Chesca for being a guest on the podcast and for all the work MiracleFeet does for clubfoot children around the world. https://www.miraclefeet.org/donate/fundraise
Aaron England: Clubfoot Relapse from a Kid’s Perspective
This is an extra special follow up episode as we hear from Aaron, a clubfoot cutie, about his experience of clubfoot relapse and its treatment. Aaron is a spirited and fun loving boy who is kind enough to share with everyone his clubfoot journey. Anjie and Aaron also talk about fundraising for Hope Walks, and how Aaron came up with the idea and the fun things he does to raise funds for kids who need clubfoot treatment globally. A big thank you to Aaron for his willingness to be a guest on this episode! Just wait until you hear about his wheelchair wheelies!
Anjie England: Clubfoot Relapse from a Mom’s Perspective
Anjie England is mom to Aaron, a clubfoot kiddo who experienced a relapse and treatment. Anjie talks about her experience hearing about Aaron's relapse, determining when to do treatment, and what their travel experience was like. Anjie is an incredible mom and advocate for her son, and her story is one that I really connected with. You have heard from Surgeons about relapse, and Lindsay about the relapse diagnosis, and now Anjie will tell you about the full experience and coming through the other side. As a special treat Aaron joins us at the end of our recording to talk about his experience, but you will have to wait until next week to hear that. I am so grateful to Anjie for her openness and willingness to share.