Trust the process
Six-month old Lister was born with bilateral clubfoot. Lister is a patient at the Tygerberg Clubfoot clinic, which is supported by Steps clubfoot care.
It takes Lister and her mom, Sedi Maseruka, two hours of travel each way to reach the experts at the Tygerberg Hospital clubfoot clinic for treatment. Sedi is a dedicated mom who has brought her baby daughter to every scheduled appointment, and she follows the treatment plan 100%.
After successfully going through the Ponseti casting phase with great results, Lister is now in the maintenance phase. She is wearing her Ponseti clubfoot brace, supplied by Steps, which will play an essential role in keeping her feet stretched in the right position until she starts walking.
Once she has worn the brace full-time for three months, Lister will continue to sleep in the brace until she is four years old.
Lister is a little shy but extremely cute, and her feet are looking fantastic. Her smiling and proud mom, Sedi, shares her experience as a clubfoot parent so far:
Steps: When did you find out about your baby’s clubfoot?
Sedi: When I was pregnant, I had a scan.
Steps: How did you feel?
Sedi: I was so distressed to discover this news and very worried. I didn’t know anything about clubfoot.
Steps: What has the treatment been like for you and your baby?
Sedi: At first it was very overwhelming, but once the feet started to come right, I started to trust in the process.
Steps: How did you find out about us?
Sedi: It was through Vuyiseka (Steps’ parent educator at the Tygerberg clubfoot clinic). Vuyiseka gave me leaflets and talked to me about the process. Vuyiseka listened to my problems and answered all my questions.
Steps: What advice would you give other families going through a similar journey?
Sedi: Trust the doctors. They do great work. I also want other moms to know that this process works, and they should always talk to each other at the clinic as it helps to not feel scared or alone in this journey.
Thanks Sedi for sharing your beautiful daughter’s story!
Steps thanks our generous donors for supporting our programme that improves the lives of so many children born with clubfoot.
