Attend the clinic, take advice into consideration!
Little Mivuyo is just two months old. He was born with bilateral clubfoot and he started coming to the Ponseti clubfoot clinic at Tygerberg Hospital just after he was born. Steps has supported this clinic since 2013, and we have met many precious little ones like Mivuyo starting the Ponseti process who now run around the clinic when they come in for their check-ups.
Mivuyo and his mom Bomikazi have travel for an hour each way by taxi from Khayelitsha to attend the Tygerberg Hospital clubfoot clinic. It’s an early start for them on a Thursday morning and the journey is long, however the treatment that Mivuyo has received and will continue to receive is life-changing.
Bomikazi is a dedicated mother and has never missed an appointment at the clinic. She is committed to see the treatment through for the full four year to make sure that Mivuyo gets the best start in life. Bomikazi encourages other clubfoot parents to never miss a clinic date and to really listen to the advice they receive from clubfoot professionals.
Mivuyo has already finished his casting phase of treatment, and he is wearing his clubfoot brace for 23 hours a day. Bomikazi only removes the brace when Mivuyo has his bath. He will wear the brace full-time for three months and then he will wear it only for sleeping – night and naps – about 16 hours every day. Mivuyo is still so young, he doesn’t know any different, and he is adapting very well to wearing his brace. This is why it is so important to have an early diagnosis. Ask questions, and take your child to a clubfoot clinic as soon as you can, so the treatment can start.
Bomikazi shares her experience as a clubfoot parent so far:
Steps: When did you find out about your baby’s clubfoot?
Bomikazi: I only found out about Mivuyo’s clubfoot after I had given birth.
Steps: How did you feel?
Bomikazi: When I first found out about my baby’s clubfoot I felt angry, cross and shocked!
Steps: What has the treatment been like for you and your family?
Bomikazi: Initially Mivuyo’s father really didn’t understand anything about it and he was worried. But when I came back from the clinic after receiving advice from the doctors and from Steps we all understood it better. now it is something that is part of our lives and we are supporting our child through his treatment.
Steps: How did you find out about us?
Bomikazi: The nurses at the clinic introduced me to Steps when I got my file on the first visit. The Steps parent adviser Vuyiseka explained everything to me about what to expect when they put the plaster casts on Bomikazi and also how to look after the cast when I got home. All the way, I have been supported and I feel very thankful for the advice that they have given me so I could help my child through this treatment.
Steps: What advice would you give other families going through a similar journey?
Bomikazi: They must attend the clinic dates and take into consideration the advice they receive, they should not regret that they have a child born with clubfoot.
Thanks Bomikazi for sharing Mivuyo’s story!
Steps thanks our generous donors for supporting our programme that improves the lives of so many children born with clubfoot.
