One day, in 2017, as Heather Fricke was dressing her son, she noticed a strange line across two of his toes.
When she figured out what it was, she rushed her son to the hospital, hoping it wasn't too late...
A Memorable Year
Heather will never forget the last few months of 2017. That year, she gave birth to her precious baby boy, Jacob.
Sadly, her happiness would be short-lived. Soon, she would make a discovery that would turn her life upside down.
Strange Mark
Heather and her husband were getting ready for a family gathering when she first noticed a strange mark on her son's toes.
Not wanting to take any risks, they took Jacob to the hospital. And what the doctor said shocked them to the core.
In-toeing
After the ordeal was over, the couple shared their story on Facebook, explaining how important it is to pay attention to your baby's feet.
The condition their son had is called in-toeing.
Discomfort
This condition can cause children significant discomfort as it causes their appendages to grow inward instead of straight.
A child with this condition will have difficulty running, walking, and sometimes even sitting.
Spotting The Condition
Fortunately, it is pretty easy to spot in-toeing in children, and most of them outgrow it without the need for any medical treatment.
But sadly, not everyone is quite as fortunate.
Kendal Slover
Ten-year-old Kendal Slover was suffering from in-toeing. Although she wasn't in pain, she faced many struggles as a kid.
“Walking, running, or even sitting cross-legged was very difficult for me," she said in an interview.
Difficulties
"I was not able to be very active in gym class or participate in sports because it became too painful."
The condition caused her severe distress at school and at home.
Her Mother's Thoughts
Slover's mother, Mandi Goodlet, also opened up about her daughter's condition.
“Kendal’s condition had a great effect on our lives and often limited activities that we did as a family. A simple bike ride or long walk would often leave Kendal in so much pain, which was often not worth the activity," she said.
Struggling
“As a parent, it was very difficult to see my child in pain every day," she continued.
Slover struggled with her condition for four more years before making a big decision to change her life.
The Causes
She decided to see Doctor Carlos Berrios to hopefully cure this condition.
There are three leading causes of in-toeing: metatarsus, tibial torsion, and femoral anteversion. They all lead to abnormal growth of the shin bone and thigh bone.
Femoral Anteversion
Slover's case of this condition was caused by femoral anteversion.
After running several tests, Dr. Berrios suggested an operation that could permanently fix the problem.
The Decision
Slover decided to go through with it so that she could return to normalcy.
“I wanted that sense of normalcy so badly and wanted to function without having to take pain medication, so I was ready for the surgery," she said.
Going Through With It
"I knew that eventually, I would get there because we finally found an answer to the problem.”
However, not everyone was supportive of her decision to free herself of this painful condition.
Concerned Mother
Solver's mother wasn't too happy when she heard that her daughter was going to have surgery.
The main problem was that Solver would need to spend some time in a wheelchair after the surgery before she could use her legs again.