BIG BIG thank you to those of you who came to the Family Funday and all the support you have given me to make this event possible. I had such a fulfilling, inspiring day and enjoyed every minute of it. I was truly moved by the stories shared by other parents of children with clubfoot and other lower limb conditions and really appreciated all the encouragement and support from all of you. Thank you to all of you for making this possible and to those of you that didnt make it but still gave generous donations.
DON'T TAKE WALKING FOR GRANTED!
Babies have been aborted in advanced pregnancy because scans showed that they had club feet, a deformity readily corrected by surgery or physiotherapy. All the terminations took place late in pregnancy, after 20 weeks.
Club foot is one of the most common birth defects in Britain. About one in 1,000 babies is affected, meaning that 600 to 700 infants are born with the condition every year. It results in the feet pointing downwards and inwards, and in severe cases can cause foot deformity and a limp.
However, it is relatively easy to correct and in recent years techniques of splints, plaster casts and boots to set the foot into the correct position have replaced the need for surgery.
Despite the ease with which it can be treated, the perception that club foot is a serious birth defect has remained among some parents and doctors. Some parents have even been strongly advised to consider abortion after they found out the baby had club foot.
Action is required to provide the necessary target audiences with the information required to raise awareness and educate the public.
STEPS are a small national charity supporting those affected by a lower limb condition such as clubfoot and have done an amazing job raising awareness about this condition and supporting families. STEPS helpline and information service were my salvation after I discovered during a 20 week scan that my baby had clubbed feet. The sono-graphers, Doctors and Midwives provided me with no information whatsoever.
To further enhance STEPS website a database that provides access to Health Professionals providing treatment for this condition would make information for parents far less daunting and accessible. The database would allow STEPS to encourage Health Professionals to add information about themselves and their departments to their database so that they can provide families with information on which they can make informed decisions about treatment. This is particularly important with the extension of the NHS Choice scheme.
When my daughter was born, I had to trawl through a pool of overwhelming information about various consultants and treatments available. My decision on where to obtain treatment for my daughter Cam was instigated because when Cam was 2 days old, we met a stranger in Mothercare with her 5 month old baby born with clubbed feet. This caused us to have a conversation about STEPS and the treatment her child was having. I still have her to thank to this day!
In order to make this database possible, £3000 needs to be raised. My ambition is to bring together parents and extended friends and families of children with clubbed feet for a Family funday fundraising event. The opportunity that this will create is to network and create future strategies to raise awareness about the condition and have fun!
Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Steps Charity Worldwide will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.
So please sponsor me now!
Many thanks for visiting my fundraising page and for your support
Julie x
