FW: Clubfoot surgery - Life's little miracles, Episode 60

[Guest guest]

Hi all,

I just cried through a screening of Life's Little Miracles showing a

baby being operated on for clubfoot. I don't know when it was

originally aired, it was on satellite here, the " Reality " channel.

He's a gorgeous little boy called , it broke my heart to watch it.

They showed him before, his feet weren't so bad, the Ponseti Method

could have worked easily. They showed his surgery and casting, taking

the pins out, and fitting the AFO's. I found a link to the hospital's

website and sent an email to their 'contact' details. From the email

address looks like it's in Canada. My email is below. I thought

perhaps some of you might want to write or contact them too. Did anyone

ever see this program?

and

24th Jan 2003, bilateral cf, treated by Dr Ponseti

www.clubfoot.co.za http://www.clubfoot.co.za/>

Clubfoot surgery - Life's little miracles, Episode 60

Importance: High

I watch your program on satellite in South Africa. Today I saw episode

60 about 's clubfoot repair, it made me very emotional. Our baby

son was born with bilateral congenital clubfoot and he was

also scheduled for clubfoot surgery - at 3 months of age. Weekly serial

casting (9 casts by then) had not made much difference.

Luckily I found out about the Ponseti Method on the internet before the

surgery date. It was developed by Dr Ignacio Ponseti in Iowa City, IA.

USA. We were so convinced that it would work, we flew 10,000 miles to

have our son treated by Dr Ponseti himself in April 2003. Dr

Ponseti has just turned 90 years of age and he is still working at the

University of Iowa Hospital, he has been doing the Ponseti Method

successfully for over 50 years.

Today, is almost 22 months old, his feet are perfect and he

required no surgery. To me this is a very BIG little miracle. There

are now 3 doctors in South Africa doing the Ponseti Method and many more

surgeons worldwide are switching to it. I don't know when this program

was first aired, it may be that your surgeons are now doing the Ponseti

method.

I would like to suggest that you do another program focusing on the

Miracle of the Ponseti Method in 'avoiding' surgery. This would

encourage more doctors to switch and inform more parents before they

subject their children to unnecessary surgery. I know many parents who

have done this and are suffering terrible guilt today, even though they

did their best for their child at the time. Doctors who switched to the

Ponseti Method suffer the same guilt about the dozens of children they

needlessly operated on.

Clubfoot surgery (PMR) results in stiff feet, they never have full

mobility or look 'normal' as the joint capsules and tendons are cut,

causing scar tissue. There is the likelihood of further surgery, pain

and arthritis as time goes on.

PLEASE can you help to inform parents about their choices. If your

hospital is not doing the Ponseti method, then can someone consider

arranging for your surgeons to go to Iowa for training in the Ponseti

method. It's simple to do when you're shown, only takes 1-2 weeks to

learn with Dr Ponseti and his team. The treatment is painless,

effective and only takes 6-8 weeks to finish the casting (and tenotomy

if required).

I enclose details of Dr Ponseti's website and my own website which I

designed a year ago to inform parents. I am happy that my website has

encouraged many parents to switch from scheduled surgery to a Ponseti

doctor with great success. Dr Ponseti's website has a list of surgeons

he has trained from the US, Canada and worldwide. The list is growing

all the time.

Dr Ponseti's website :

http://www.vh.org/pediatric/patient/orthopaedics/clubfeet/index.html

My website:

www.clubfoot.co.za http://www.clubfoot.co.za/>

Make many future clubfoot babies very happy and give them a better

quality of life by using the Ponseti Method. I know that it has changed

our son's life immeasurably and we will forever be grateful to Dr

Ponseti and his method.

Best wishes

Moss

Johannesburg, South Africa

Telephone +27 11 83 266 4221