Albie Shenton was just two-months-old when he was taken to Manchester Children’s Hospital in an attempt to have his foot bent back. He suffers from a condition called club foot, where a baby is born with their feet turned in and under. The defect affects one in every 1,000 babies and is more common in boys.
His mum Naomi was told about the condition at her 20-week scan – a discovery that left the her “absolutely mortified”. Her agony only grew when she had to take Albie as a newborn to hospital to have his feet looked at. These painful appointments endured for months before the tot was eventually placed in a boots and bar brace.
The boots and bar hold the feet in in a corrected position to prevent the muscles and ligaments from becoming tight again. But Naomi, 28, says the brace was causing problems on Albie’s unaffected right foot.
“They try telling you it’s not painful, but he was screaming; I cried,” Naomi, told the Manchester Evening News. “His unaffected foot was bleeding and had blisters. He has to wear it 23 hours a day and is meant to have it until he’s five-years-old. It’s been absolutely horrible. I cry all the time.”
Mum-of-two Naomi says that due to his age, six-month-old Albie struggles to wear the brace and can’t sleep with it on. She is now seeking alternative options to allow him to move like a normal baby – but other braces aren’t available on the NHS.
She continued: “If I can’t sort it, he will relapse. He’s only six months old and they want to roll over. We have to keep persisting and keep trying but his sandals are strapped onto the bar at night so he doesn’t sleep and it makes it worse for him. It’s not like having an older child who understands.”
Naomi is hoping to raise money for a Cunningham Brace, a flexible brace that is only fitted to the affected leg and allows movement for normal activities such as crawling, rolling, standing and even walking. Unfortunately, the brace can only be funded privately – and will set her back around £4,500 including appointments every four weeks.
“We’ve looked into several options and Manchester Children’s Hospital only does boots and bars," Naomi added. “I will keep having to try and put it on because I don’t want his foot to relapse because then they will have to do a tender transfer. He will lose the whole bottom of his leg."
Naomi has since set up a Gofundme page to help her raise funds for Albie’s Cunningham Brace. So far, it has raised £595 out of its £2,500 target.
Anyone interested in donating can do so by clicking the link here.
For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea
