Luthimna Busakwe is an eighteen month old toddler living in Khayelitsha. He was born with bilateral clubfoot.
His mother Busisiwe says, “When I first saw my son’s feet when he was born I was very sad and had so many questions. Why are my son’s feet like this? Will he be able to walk and run? Will he be able to lead a normal life, is he disabled? The nurses told me at the hospital where I gave birth that it can be treated, and I was referred to the Tygerberg Hospital clubfoot clinic.”
“I took my son to the clinic for his first appointment when he was 12 days old,” Busisiwe says. “The Steps clinic coordinator Jane told me that it was not my fault, there is nothing that I did or didn’t do to make my son’s feet like this, and that he would be able to lead a normal life. I felt so relieved and happy. She also told me that my son would have plaster casts every week for the next 4-8 weeks. I was very scared that it would be painful for my son, but she told me the doctors gently move and position the feet each week through the casting process. Every Thursday I went to the clinic and every week the foot moved out more and looked more and more normal. Now my boy is wearing a clubfoot brace at night.”
“I want to tell other parents who are going through clubfoot treatment with their child to listen to what the doctors and clinic team tells you. You must take your baby every week and then wear the brace and for the time they tell you. For the first three months Luthimna wore the brace for 23 hours a day. It is important that you follow the process.”
“I am so happy that I took my son to the Tygerberg clubfoot clinic. I am so happy with my son’s feet.”
– Busisiwe
