I knew I'd be donating her first pair of crutches to the therapy center; what I didn't expect to find in the storage closet was every pair of AFOs she'd ever had. And most of her shoes (not all of them, but the ones that had been specially fit for her--most of these have lifts in the sole, or additions to the inside of the shoe).
E got her first pair of AFOs at 18 months. When she started bearing weight on her feet, her pronation on her right foot was so bad she stood ON her navicular bone--the bony "nub" on the inside of your ankle, and her toes on both feet "clawed out".
These braces--every one shown here--were integral to the mobility she has today. I can't thank Bryan Fuller and Virginia Prosthetics enough.
I don't have the walkers anymore--they've long since moved on to other families--but she's had three of them, the first one was SO TINY. I remember her first time on forearm crutches--she was so scared, and she HATED IT. Now she's on her second set--pink again, of course.
Sometimes I get all choked up thinking about it...
You've come a long way, baby.
