INDIA – Childhood should be one of the most fun, carefree times of life. It’s often a period when you feel brave enough and bold enough to take on the world. Your body can bend and stretch in ways that will all too soon be unimaginable. Yet for some children, this isn’t the case. Some face a daily crucible of pain from clubfoot.
Sonam, a young girl in India, embodies some of these traits. She is brave and bold, yes—but because she was born with a clubfoot, her life has not been carefree. Clubfoot is a common birth defect that affects the muscles and bones in one’s feet. It typically causes the foot to point down and inward. In most cases, this affliction can be fixed without invasive surgery, but due to the severity of Sonam’s condition, she would need multiple surgeries.
Sonam’s foot was so drastically misaligned that the girl was forced to walk almost completely on the top side of her foot. Her ability to run and play like other children was limited—that is, until friends like YOU stepped in! Your outpouring of kindness not only changed Sonam’s life, but it also removed a heavy burden from her parents.“I am helpless,” Sonam’s father told us when he applied for surgery assistance. “I am afraid for her future and the pain she goes through.”
Multiple Surgeries Help Sonam Overcome Her Pain from Clubfoot
As a farmer, Sonam’s father works hard. Yet the five-part medical procedure necessary to heal Sonam cost more than he could afford. Thanks to Operation Blessing’s Life-Changing Surgeries program and donations from our online community, Sonam received the operations to heal her pain from clubfoot. Her family will forever be grateful for the kindness and compassion shown to their child by friends like you.
“I truly believe it’s a miracle,” said Sonam’s mother. “I used to feel sad seeing her condition, but now my husband and I are very happy and blessed that Sonam has fully recovered.” Sonam has grown into a spirited teenager who no longer has to face ridicule or discomfort from her once clubbed foot. After gaining full mobility, the jubilant girl can focus on her schooling—and her dream of becoming a teacher.
