Re: Fwd: Re: Markell's with hole in the heel/Jen

[Guest guest]

Great to hear!!!! I wish those were around when my kids needed them... Better

late than never. : )

www.pediatric-orthopedic-foundation.org

Our mission: " To provide support and assistance through education and financial

assistance to families and their children who have orthopedic disabilities or

orthopedic birth defects. "

[Guest guest]

Man I love America! LOL! Not until gave them a run for their

money with competition did they listen and try to fix their ******** shoes!

Free enterprise is such a wonderful concept. I hope they'll keep their prices

reasonable cuz there's one spot they have beat all to heck.

s.

-----

Dear Jen et al.,

We will soon be coming out with another version of our open-toe boot

which will have a cut-out in the heel area. This will be offered in

the smallest sizes from 0000,000,00, 0, and 1 in Narrow, Medium and

also a Wide width. This is the age and size group who seem to have the

most problems right after casting, in the first few weeks and months

of DBB wear. We are hopeful that the cut-out heel, along with the

padding around it and the slightly higher topline, will be the answer

to those babies who have had problems with rubbing and pulling out.

The 3 different widths should better accommodate the skinny, normal,

and very pudgy feet. We hope to have these new models available in

late February. As always we are committed to making a quality shoe

that works, is comfortable, and is also affordable. We appreciate all

the feedback, and continue to listen and to fine tune our shoes.

Jay Markell

Markell Shoe Company

> > Do you cut over the seam or to the side?

> >

[Guest guest]

Thanks Tina. I think I got it. I appreciate the info.

dylansmommy2000 dylansmommy2000@...> wrote:

Jen,

When we had the Markells our orthotist cut a hole in the back so that

I could see if Ethan's heel was all the way down and he cut the hole

so that the seam would have been in the middle of the hole. I don't

have the shoes anymore because I donated them to a member of this

group when we got the s. I will get a hold of her and see if

she can take a picture of them for me and I will send it to you if you

want. Just let me know!!

Tina

Dylan 3-21-00

Ethan 3-06-04 s 15/7

#3 EDD 05-25-05

> Do you cut over the seam or to the side?

>

[Guest guest]

I'm curious how is giving Markell a " run for their money " ? As far

as I knew the shoes are only being produced in Iowa right now. There

may come a time when the s are mass produced, but that time is not now.

Seems to me that the vast majority of children are still getting the Markells.

I personally think that it's a wonderful thing that Jay markell does to monitor

this board and watch for potential problems. Don't forget that it was not that

long ago that the only place you could get effective Ponseti treatment was in

Iowa. We've seen over and over again on this board children who were treated in

Iowa that have zero problems with the Markell shoes. Then parents found out

about the Ponseti method via the internet and through hard work, more and more

doctors are learning to use it. I think all the recent problems with the

Markell shoes are more a function of inexperienced doctors than of something

" wrong " with the shoes. These *********** shoes worked perfectly fine for the

first fifty years that Dr. Ponseti prescribed them.

I understand that there is a subset of clubfoot babies that the Markells don't

work for and thus the need for the shoes. It's truly a wonderful thing

that has done in conjunction with Dr. Ponseti.

I think your comment was unfair to Mr. Markell and will only serve to give a

perfectly good shoe a bad reputation.

I hope you'rr not offended, but those ********** shoes have kept my daughter's

foot corrected for quite some time now and I couldn't be happier.

Jen & Livie

Re: Fwd: Re: Markell's with hole in the heel/Jen

Man I love America! LOL! Not until gave them a run for their

money with competition did they listen and try to fix their ******** shoes!

Free enterprise is such a wonderful concept. I hope they'll keep their prices

reasonable cuz there's one spot they have beat all to heck.

s.

-----

Dear Jen et al.,

We will soon be coming out with another version of our open-toe boot

which will have a cut-out in the heel area. This will be offered in

the smallest sizes from 0000,000,00, 0, and 1 in Narrow, Medium and

also a Wide width. This is the age and size group who seem to have the

most problems right after casting, in the first few weeks and months

of DBB wear. We are hopeful that the cut-out heel, along with the

padding around it and the slightly higher topline, will be the answer

to those babies who have had problems with rubbing and pulling out.

The 3 different widths should better accommodate the skinny, normal,

and very pudgy feet. We hope to have these new models available in

late February. As always we are committed to making a quality shoe

that works, is comfortable, and is also affordable. We appreciate all

the feedback, and continue to listen and to fine tune our shoes.

Jay Markell

Markell Shoe Company

> > Do you cut over the seam or to the side?

> >

[Guest guest]

Well, now, to be fair, Jay had already done the research and started the

improvements for the newest model of Markell's well before ever made the

first pair of sandals.

Jay really is a good guy and is doing what he can. He knows that the Markell

design cant compete with the s for a certain group of feet (the atypical

ones that can relapse while in the Markells) but he is taking from what the

parents have learned (I really think Kori was the first to think of cutting a

hole in the boots) to better the Markells for everyone else.

I have to admit that if Kai could use the Markells with success I would go back

to them in a heartbeat. Not only are they less expensive (this hasnt been an

issue for us yet since our pair was a prototype pair and we did not pay for

them), but they are easier to come by! In order to get a new pair of 's

for Kai, I need to make a mold of his foot so that they can be custom fitted to

it (he got blisters in the sandals, and he gets a pressure sore on his first

metatarsal from his current pair).

Angel

Re: Fwd: Re: Markell's with hole in the heel/Jen

Man I love America! LOL! Not until gave them a run for their

money with competition did they listen and try to fix their ******** shoes!

Free enterprise is such a wonderful concept. I hope they'll keep their prices

reasonable cuz there's one spot they have beat all to heck.

s.

-----

Dear Jen et al.,

We will soon be coming out with another version of our open-toe boot

which will have a cut-out in the heel area. This will be offered in

the smallest sizes from 0000,000,00, 0, and 1 in Narrow, Medium and

also a Wide width. This is the age and size group who seem to have the

most problems right after casting, in the first few weeks and months

of DBB wear. We are hopeful that the cut-out heel, along with the

padding around it and the slightly higher topline, will be the answer

to those babies who have had problems with rubbing and pulling out.

The 3 different widths should better accommodate the skinny, normal,

and very pudgy feet. We hope to have these new models available in

late February. As always we are committed to making a quality shoe

that works, is comfortable, and is also affordable. We appreciate all

the feedback, and continue to listen and to fine tune our shoes.

Jay Markell

Markell Shoe Company

> > Do you cut over the seam or to the side?

> >

[Guest guest]

And those shoes maintained my correction 37 years ago! I praise Markell shoes.

[Guest guest]

Gee Jen, I am sorry, I truely did not mean to offend anyone. It's only my point

of view and it's safe to say Opinions are like ....... well, we all have one and

they all stink. The shoes have been around for 50 years, probably more in

one form or another - but this standard shoe really hasn't evolved in all these

years so they sort of had a monopoly on the situation. The choice was take it

or leave it. Now that Dr. Ponseti is recommending the 's for more

and more babies, not just Atypicals, but more as a norm perfered over the

Markells for their lack of issues, it's my (stinky) opinion Jay's company is

having to look at new alternatives to keep and attract his customers. To me

this is a good thing. Competition is a good thing. I'm not putting Jay down.

I'm not putting up. It was just a statement. This seems like good news to

the clubfoot community to have competition, to have choices, to have people

working hard to find improvements. Sorry to have upset you.

ee

I'm curious how is giving Markell a " run for their money " ? As far

as I knew the shoes are only being produced in Iowa right now. There

may come a time when the s are mass produced, but that time is not now.

Seems to me that the vast majority of children are still getting the Markells.

I personally think that it's a wonderful thing that Jay markell does to monitor

this board and watch for potential problems. Don't forget that it was not that

long ago that the only place you could get effective Ponseti treatment was in

Iowa. We've seen over and over again on this board children who were treated in

Iowa that have zero problems with the Markell shoes. Then parents found out

about the Ponseti method via the internet and through hard work, more and more

doctors are learning to use it. I think all the recent problems with the

Markell shoes are more a function of inexperienced doctors than of something

" wrong " with the shoes. These *********** shoes worked perfectly fine for the

first fifty years that Dr. Ponseti prescribed them.

I understand that there is a subset of clubfoot babies that the Markells don't

work for and thus the need for the shoes. It's truly a wonderful thing

that has done in conjunction with Dr. Ponseti.

I think your comment was unfair to Mr. Markell and will only serve to give a

perfectly good shoe a bad reputation.

I hope you'rr not offended, but those ********** shoes have kept my daughter's

foot corrected for quite some time now and I couldn't be happier.

Jen & Livie

Re: Fwd: Re: Markell's with hole in the heel/Jen

Man I love America! LOL! Not until gave them a run for their

money with competition did they listen and try to fix their ******** shoes!

Free enterprise is such a wonderful concept. I hope they'll keep their prices

reasonable cuz there's one spot they have beat all to heck.

s.

-----

Dear Jen et al.,

We will soon be coming out with another version of our open-toe boot

which will have a cut-out in the heel area. This will be offered in

the smallest sizes from 0000,000,00, 0, and 1 in Narrow, Medium and

also a Wide width. This is the age and size group who seem to have the

most problems right after casting, in the first few weeks and months

of DBB wear. We are hopeful that the cut-out heel, along with the

padding around it and the slightly higher topline, will be the answer

to those babies who have had problems with rubbing and pulling out.

The 3 different widths should better accommodate the skinny, normal,

and very pudgy feet. We hope to have these new models available in

late February. As always we are committed to making a quality shoe

that works, is comfortable, and is also affordable. We appreciate all

the feedback, and continue to listen and to fine tune our shoes.

Jay Markell

Markell Shoe Company

> > Do you cut over the seam or to the side?

> >

[Guest guest]

I'm sorry also ee. I read your comment right before I went to bed last

night after a long day of working, taking care of the kids, the house, the world

(I'm sure you know the feeling!). It just rubbed me the wrong way, but I should

have just let it go.

You certainly are entitled to your opinion. We do agree on one thing that a

little competition in the clubfoot world certainly can't be bad for the kiddos!!

I've seen the shoes first hand in Iowa and I do think that they are a

great alternative to the Markells. They are way cool looking as well as

functional and look like they would be much more comfortable for the babies.

Unfortunately, I think the price right now is going to keep a lot of kids out of

them. Of course, had Livie needed to have a different shoe because she had

atypical clubfoot, we would have found a way to get those shoes for her. The

same way we begged and borrowed to get her to Iowa to see Dr. Ponseti.

I apologize for coming off as snippy. I was tired!

Jen & Livie

Re: Fwd: Re: Markell's with hole in the

heel/Jen

Man I love America! LOL! Not until gave them a run for their

money with competition did they listen and try to fix their ******** shoes!

Free enterprise is such a wonderful concept. I hope they'll keep their prices

reasonable cuz there's one spot they have beat all to heck.

s.

-----

Dear Jen et al.,

We will soon be coming out with another version of our open-toe boot

which will have a cut-out in the heel area. This will be offered in

the smallest sizes from 0000,000,00, 0, and 1 in Narrow, Medium and

also a Wide width. This is the age and size group who seem to have the

most problems right after casting, in the first few weeks and months

of DBB wear. We are hopeful that the cut-out heel, along with the

padding around it and the slightly higher topline, will be the answer

to those babies who have had problems with rubbing and pulling out.

The 3 different widths should better accommodate the skinny, normal,

and very pudgy feet. We hope to have these new models available in

late February. As always we are committed to making a quality shoe

that works, is comfortable, and is also affordable. We appreciate all

the feedback, and continue to listen and to fine tune our shoes.

Jay Markell

Markell Shoe Company

> > Do you cut over the seam or to the side?

> >

[Guest guest]

Ah hey, you're allowed to snip once in a while. No hard feelings. I'm excited

to hear there are new styles of shoes being worked on cuz you're right, the

price of 's are way too high and I'm really thinking when we out grow this

pair of sandals I may try the Markell approach. Everett's feet are bigger now

and stuff, they might work for us this time.

s.

I'm sorry also ee. I apologize for coming off as snippy. I was tired!

Jen & Livie

[Guest guest]

For whatever it's worth... after following this thread but not having time

to post... I wanted to say that even though we had terrible problems with

the Markells and I felt the shoes were awful at one point I really like

them now. As Angel pointed out, I think we were the very first to cut a

hole in the backs of these shoes but it was out of desperation and not my

idea but our orthotist's. It was however the point where I learned that it

wasn't the shoes that caused problems, but me and the way I put them on

her. Talk about smack myself up side the head! User error is sometimes

the problem, but most the time it's uncorrected feet and no shoe, no matter

how soft or specially made for a certain foot is going to take care of all

the uncorrected feet that have problems in the FAB. Even if the only shoe

available was the it would not solve the problem of Dr's not

performing the method properly. In fact, since there's very little

problems with sores or whatever with the s I would hazard a guess

that these uncorrected feet would largely go undetected which would be a

very bad thing indeed.

Granted, the shoes are more desirable for many reasons (except for

cost of course) but I really wouldn't trade our Markells in anymore at

all. Not only are they better designed now (we don't use the plastizode

inserts - the design of the shoe works quite fine just the way it is) but

they're very heavy duty and can take the abuse of crawling all over the

place very well. I'm actually starting to think they're kind of cute

lol! I really appreciate that Jay has taken to heart that it's important

for us parents to be able to see inside the shoes so we know we're getting

them on properly and has this new design out. It has to cost quite a bit

to re-design these special shoes, have the right kinds of machines to make

them and such. And it obviously takes time. It's been almost 2y since I

first contacted Jay Markell asking if I could try the new shoes I'd heard

about after having to cut out the heel in our first pair, and he has only

been pleasant and helpful with anything I've brought to his attention since

then. At that point he had already come up with prototype shoes that

eliminated the need for the plastizode inserts, so we can assume that he'd

been concerned about problems with the shoes for a while already. I think

if we looked, we'd find that the orthotics business is a very old industry

and many shoes have been made the same way for eons because people just

deal with any problems they have and don't rock the boat. That we've been

able to rock the boat at all in this area is a fantastic thing, that Mr.

Markell cares enough to go to the effort to make the shoes in the small

sizes with a hole in the back so no more babies will have sores on their

heels is very good indeed. I have this feeling that someone in Jay

Markell's family started making orthotics many years ago for a reason just

as noble as has for making his shoes. Maybe not... but I'd

at least like to think so.

Now, if we could get Jay to make the Markells in green, pink, blue and

purple I'd be really happy! (oh, and I'm still game for longer straps... lol)

Kori

At 02:20 PM 12/17/2004, you wrote:

>Ah hey, you're allowed to snip once in a while. No hard feelings. I'm

>excited to hear there are new styles of shoes being worked on cuz you're

>right, the price of 's are way too high and I'm really thinking when

>we out grow this pair of sandals I may try the Markell

>approach. Everett's feet are bigger now and stuff, they might work for us

>this time.

>s.

>

>

>

>

>I'm sorry also ee. I apologize for coming off as snippy. I was tired!

>

>Jen & Livie

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Jen

Just catching up on all the posts and I'm a bit late. But are you still

interested in seeing the markell shoe with the hole in the heel.

We are using them now and it would be easy to post a pic. Are you on the CFPic

list?

Sharon

and Jen consider@...> wrote:

I'm sorry also ee. I read your comment right before I went to bed last

night after a long day of working, taking care of the kids, the house, the world

(I'm sure you know the feeling!). It just rubbed me the wrong way, but I should

have just let it go.

You certainly are entitled to your opinion. We do agree on one thing that a

little competition in the clubfoot world certainly can't be bad for the kiddos!!

I've seen the shoes first hand in Iowa and I do think that they are a

great alternative to the Markells. They are way cool looking as well as

functional and look like they would be much more comfortable for the babies.

Unfortunately, I think the price right now is going to keep a lot of kids out of

them. Of course, had Livie needed to have a different shoe because she had

atypical clubfoot, we would have found a way to get those shoes for her. The

same way we begged and borrowed to get her to Iowa to see Dr. Ponseti.

I apologize for coming off as snippy. I was tired!

Jen & Livie

Re: Fwd: Re: Markell's with hole in the

heel/Jen

Man I love America! LOL! Not until gave them a run for their

money with competition did they listen and try to fix their ******** shoes!

Free enterprise is such a wonderful concept. I hope they'll keep their prices

reasonable cuz there's one spot they have beat all to heck.

s.

-----

Dear Jen et al.,

We will soon be coming out with another version of our open-toe boot

which will have a cut-out in the heel area. This will be offered in

the smallest sizes from 0000,000,00, 0, and 1 in Narrow, Medium and

also a Wide width. This is the age and size group who seem to have the

most problems right after casting, in the first few weeks and months

of DBB wear. We are hopeful that the cut-out heel, along with the

padding around it and the slightly higher topline, will be the answer

to those babies who have had problems with rubbing and pulling out.

The 3 different widths should better accommodate the skinny, normal,

and very pudgy feet. We hope to have these new models available in

late February. As always we are committed to making a quality shoe

that works, is comfortable, and is also affordable. We appreciate all

the feedback, and continue to listen and to fine tune our shoes.

Jay Markell

Markell Shoe Company

> > Do you cut over the seam or to the side?

> >