Her heel cord is officially clipped. I was praying it wouldn't need to be done, but it was just the way it had to be. I researched other methods for lengthening the tendon and talked to other parents who had children with clubbed feet but was unable to find another suitable method. The parents that did try other methods were not only few and far between but also felt the methods they tried were ineffective. All the kids ended up needing the lengthening anyway. Today she got her final cast, though, which is awesome! She will have this one for three weeks and will then go in to special shoes that will keep her feet positioned shoulder-width apart and at the correct degree of angle. I am so thankful we are able to utilize this method and avoid surgery and am praying that her foot does not slip back in to the clubbed position again. Unfortunately, this happens about 70% of the time with children that have a clubbed foot AND spina bifida because the foots tendency to re-club combined with the lack of weight bearing and, of course, gravity, make the reoccurrence rate pretty high. Our next step will be to utilize a stander to get her in to standing position and start bearing weight in her legs. And after that, well, who knows. It's been quite a journey, and it's not even close to being over, but I will say that I love it! I'm not sure why God chose all of us for our roles but I trust in His plan and know He has amazing things planned for our little gal.
