Hi there! It’s Erick, aka Gumballhead. I am writing this blog to talk about a few things that are important to me. Typically, you find me ranting about something while I am driving, or interviewing someone unique to entertain and educate. Well-this month is clubfoot awareness month and I would like to point our attention in this direction.
Here is the definition of clubfoot according to Johns Hopkins University:
In a clubfoot, the Achilles tendon is too short, causing the foot to stay pointed — also known as “fixing the foot in equinus.” The foot is also turned in and under. The bones of the foot and ankle are all present but are misaligned due to differences in the muscles and tendons acting on the foot.
#RENNYTOK was born with a substantial case of this. While it has not hindered him in growing as a boy, it has had it’s moments where it has challenged him. He runs, jumps, walks, rides bikes-everything most toddlers/adolescents do. However, due to job loss in late 2023 and a challenging 2024-we had to cut back wherever we could financially to make ends meet. While he still got the medical attention and visits to the surgeon during this time, we had to sell our home in 2024 due to lack of work.
We took that time to swim, travel, obtain culture-but most of all we began building a network and we learned during this time how important community was to existence. We worked with addicts, the homeless, churches and increased our online presence to form a network for those facing adversity. While we were on our world tour, we came across our cat-named Mocha.
Mocha became “Rainbow Kat” as we found her close to death while returning to our home in Louisiana after meeting with some important folks in Texas. Mocha has become our recovery pet. She provides emotional support and is there for when Renny faces difficult times as a result of his feet. He struggles frequently with calf, thigh and foot pain. We meet with the surgeon for the second visit in our new location on the 23rd of June.
We struggled to find a team that could meet the expectations that the Helen DeVos hospital provided for us and due to financial difficulties and lack of insurance at the time-we simply could not afford the medical treatments that he needed last year. I have secured a full time job with decent insurance, we have found a team that is dedicated to clubfeet and comes somewhat highly regarded in this field. We are excited and a little anxious to have more surgeries. We are optimistic about the next leg (no pun intended) of this journey.
Renny has spoken of how he wants to help other kids get better with their special feet.Kristi Yamaguchi, Troy Aikman, Charles Woodsen, Mia Hamm and Damon Wayans are a few celebrities that were born with this ailment and without that tidbit of information-you never would have known that. Rennen’s mission is simple. He wants to help kids get shoes, surgery and braces, to make them better. That’s it! We are receiving donations for those families that may need help with co-pays, purchasing shoes and helping with whatever we can. As we receive more-we can give more.
We also want to release some of his art work for purchase. Stay tuned for that, as it will be available hopefully sooner than later. We will have more details as we grow.
Today, we played “Minecraft” in the yard, we had a dance party and went for a bike ride around our neighborhood. He also met his cousins at the zoo on Friday. All normal things, right? I spent an hour rubbing his feet today, his legs were sore on Friday night and he will probably wake up with leg pain again tonight. This is the daily life of a clubby. Once we begin the surgical journey, the castings, the feet corrections etc again, his pain will subside. We still have a long way to go.
Most of all we want to encourage the people out there that are just beginning the journey, stay the course. It gets better. I write this with tears in my eyes-and a quiver in my heart as I love my little clubfoot hero so much. We want to share the joy, stories and success with the other families out there that may see this as a detriment. Please, stay resilient. Your little one will prevail. Show them love and listen to them when they complain about discomfort. Invest in the time they require and do what is necessary to keep them comfortable. It hurts more than stubbing your toe.
We will maintain the content that we commonly provide, but will up the ante for the month of June to increase the awareness for club feet. Until our paths cross…..well you know the rest.
Much Love
Erick, Dre and the rest of the GBH Sobriety Society.
The Official Home of the Gumballhead Mental Health Network 