STORY PREVIEW

Clubfoot (or talipes equinovarus) is a birth defect that causes one or both feet to turn inward and upward. Clubfoot results from abnormal development of the muscles, tendons, and bones of the foetus. Shortened tendons and ligaments on the inside of the lower leg lead to the foot turning inward. Clubfoot is completely treatable, yet a lot of children have to live with this condition and are unable to lead a normal life either because, there is lack of awareness regarding the treatment available, lack of resources to avail of the treatment or both. Even in a technologically connected world like today, there is a misconception that clubfoot can be treated and rectified with traditional massage which delays the treatment of the affected foot and correction becomes all the more difficult. With awareness and resources every child born with clubfoot can be treated and can lead a normal life.

I was born with clubfoot but was lucky to get the treatment on time. Thanks to the early and correct medical intervention my clubfoot is now corrected, and I can enjoy sports, athletics, trek and lead a normal life. As per Miracle Feet’s website Clubfoot can be treated 95 percent of cases can be treated with a series of casts to reposition the feet, followed by a brace worn at night. I want to make it possible for maximum number of children to receive the treatment so that they are able to lead a normal life that is not limited by an untreated clubfoot.

This condition affects the new-born children and when they grow up, they are unable to wear shoes and take part in normal activities like playing, running or participating in sports. Hence this condition prevents the children from leading a normal life. About 150,000 children are born with clubfoot around the world (prevalent largely in lower income economies). Primary concern relating to this condition is that there is very less awareness regarding the treatability of this condition and also in places where it is prevalent, the economic status of the families makes it impossible for them to afford the requisite treatment.

Create Awareness: Reach out to as many people as possible and make them aware of Clubfoot so that it helps remove the stigma attached to it and so that they come forward to help those in need. Enable Treatment: Grow the ecosystem to help communities get treatment on time and at an affordable price point. Growth and development: Help the community of clubfoot children to learn about life skills and show them that there are endless possibilities of leading a happy life with or without the disability.

I chose to raise awareness and enable treatment, as people will come forward to help only if they are aware of the problem.

Create Awareness: Mar’22 - Set up a happy feat website https://happyfeat.co/ with the help of my parents as an initial initiative to create a happy feat community. Jun’22 - Interviewed Dr. Kevin Lim from KKH (the doctor who treated my club foot condition). Pls refer to the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uJ5LaaWu7Q Jul’22 - My initiative to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise awareness and fund for clubfoot children was covered by an article written by The Straits Times, Singapore’s leading newspaper - https://www.straitstimes.com/multimedia/graphics/2022/07/singapore-mission-kilimanjaro-children-club-foot/index.html?shell Enable Treatment: Jul’22 - Started a fundraiser campaign for HappyFeat (hosted by Miracle Feet) – https://www.miraclefeet.org/donate/happyfeat-fundraiser-kilimanjaro-trek-for-clubfoot Aug’22 - Succeeded in achieving our target of raising USD 25,000 which will enable treatment of 50 affected children. Aug’22 – Donated my old brace shoes to Stepping Stones (an NGO in Bali helping Clubfoot children), these were put to good use for 8 children who needed them. Impart Life skills: July’22 - Visited Miracle Feet clinic in Tanzania to meet Clubfoot affected children and shared toys, books and educational material with them. Children typically get bored when they visit the clinic (either for their routine checkups or for castings or the Tenotomy procedure), hence I bought and carried a few things that will keep them occupied and provide them learning. July’22 – Climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro highlighting a full recovery and hope to others, to lead a normal life

There is a wider awareness in my friends, family and social circle about clubfoot. We were able to raise US $25,000 through the fundraise trek which contributed to treatment of 50 affected children

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Quote from Chesca Colloredo-Mansfeld, MiracleFeet CEO (Miracle Feet’s is the world’s largest NGO focused on Clubfoot) – “I loved this interview for so many reasons. Vedant you are a wonderful interviewer and Dr. Lim gives such a great explanation of clubfoot and how to treat it. Go HappyFeat productions!!” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uJ5LaaWu7Q Quote from Dr. Kevin Lim, Chairman, Division of Surgery & Senior Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, KK Women’s & Children’s Hospital – “In healthcare we sometimes forget what we do can have a huge impact on our patients’ lives. I treated this young man’s clubfoot 12 years ago and he is today climbing Mt Kilimanjaro to raise funds (and awareness!) for children with clubfoot. Well done Vedant, this is truly inspirational!” - https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6952052582211067904/

The first challenge was around ensuring we could create enough visibility and garner support for the Fundraise (@ 25k USD, it was the single largest individual fundraise that MiracleFeet had ever seen; most Fundraises were in the range of USD 3k-8k). We used my parents’ social media accounts (Facebook and LinkedIn) and their school/college/office networks to spread the message, with weekly updates to share the progress. The second challenge was the Kilimanjaro Trek. I had done one trek with my father back in 2018 (Annapurna Base Camp in Nepal, 4300 metres) but this was much higher (at 5,895 metres). There were days when I was dehydrated, felt giddy and out of energy. But my trek guide (Keffas from Majestic Kilimanjaro), his assistant guide and my trek group (consisting of my uncle, my neighbour and my dad) kept me motivated and supported me to overcome my physical and mental challenges, and I was able to summit the mountain. I hope I can inspire Clubfoot children to do the same once they have been able to get treatment and lead a normal life full of adventures.

MORE THAN 30 DAYS

Good health and well being

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership. UN SDG Goal #3 (Sustainable Development Goal 3) talks about Good Health and Well Being. It specifically states “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages”. My story helps the world to achieve a part of this goal by ensuring that children affected by Clubfoot condition are able to get treatment and lead a normal life (esp given that Clubfoot is one of the most commonly occurring childbirth defects around the world, more so in the emerging economies).

I setup a Fundraise site (in collaboration with MiracleFeet) where I shared my story and used various media (online and offline) to spread the message - https://www.miraclefeet.org/donate/happyfeat-fundraiser-kilimanjaro-trek-for-clubfoot My school helped me in 2 ways: Shared the project with all the parents through the Newsletter and a dedicated email talking about this initiative Helped to contribute USD 1,000 to the fundraise, which was significant in getting the fundraise over the line. We reached out to The Straits Times (Photo Journalist – Lim Yaohui) to publish an article on Clubfoot, which they thankfully did (it was the first ever coverage of Clubfoot in the newspaper in Singapore)

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Creating awareness about Clubfoot: Podcast with Maureen Hoff (Author of Clubfoot Chronicles in Canada, https://www.maureenhoff.com/podcast) – to be released in Nov/Dec 2022 Enabling treatment for those who can't afford it: Do one trek a year… starting with helping children in Nepal through a trek to EBC (Everest Base Camp) in Apr 2023 Work with my uncle, Animesh Kharel (Surgeon) and the local hospital networks to offer Clubfoot treatment in Nepal in places where there is no availability currently Imparting life skills to help the affected children lead a happy life (beyond having happy feet) Remote internships for children at organizations across the world Create a community to enlist children and give them access to learning courses, extra-curricular activities, events, etc. Run a chess championship for Clubfoot children – Lets connect over a game of Chess - https://lichess.org/@/VedantNayudu