A Clubfoot Mom
Feeling overwhelmed with your cutie’s clubfoot diagnosis? Is the BnB transition harder than you thought? Need some basic clubfoot treatment information? This is the podcast for you! I have been there, am still there, and discuss all topics clubfoot related. A mixture of short and sweet episodes and conversations with other clubfoot parents, medical professionals, and members of the clubfoot community, this is the only podcast dedicated to clubfoot available. My goal is to provide resources and information for everyone on the treatment journey.
I love the opportunity to talk with other clubfoot people, although it can be difficult to find a quiet time and place to record in the chaos of my household. Shout out to my talented brother, Conor Murphy, for all the high-tech editing I could never dream of doing.
Please reach out if you are interested in sharing your story or have a particular topic you would like hear about!
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Dr. Nitza Rodriguez: A Caring Clubfoot Doctor
Dr. Nitza Rodriguez is an adult and pediatric foot and ankle specialist at Southern California Foot & Ankle Specialists, and a PIA Ponseti Certified Clubfoot Doctor. Dr, Rodriguez is well known in the clubfoot community for deeply caring about her patients. In this episode we discuss why Dr. Rodriguez was drawn to clubfoot treatment, her personal relationship with Dr. Ponseti, and where she thinks clubfoot treatment can advance in the future. I love how honest and real Dr. Rodriguez is and it is palpable how much she cares about her patients and their families. A huge thank you to Dr. Rodriguez for being a guest and I sincerely think you will learn a lot from this episode. https://socalfootandankle.com/services/clubfoot/
Sarah Maxwell: A Clubfoot Beauty
Sarah Maxwell is currently holds the title of Miss Veteran's Day New Jersey 2023 and an adult living with clubfoot. I first heard Sarah's story through social media and was inspired by her story and the way she spreads awareness of clubfoot. In this episode, Sarah talks about experience participating in the Miss America sponsorship competitions, how her clubfoot has impacted her journey, and how she uses her social impact initiative to spread clubfoot awareness. I am excited for you all to hear her story and a huge thank you to Sarah for her willingness to share and for all she does to support the clubfoot community,
Dr. John Herzenberg: A True Ponseti Champion
This episode features the incomparable Dr. John Herzenberg, the Director, International Center for Limb Lengthening, and Head of Pediatric Orthopedics, Sinai Hospital, and Clinical Professor and UMMS. If you are a listener of this podcast you will recognize Dr. Herzenberg's name because of the podcast where I tell you about my experience putting on a clubfoot cast with him. He truly is a champion of the Ponseti method and you will hear him talk about how he came across the method and adopted it into his own work. Dr. Herzenberg has always been a supporter of my work helping clubfoot parents and I am eternally grateful for everything he has done and continues to do for the clubfoot community. I feel so lucky to be able to share him with you all in this episode, a huge thank you to Dr. Herzenberg for being a guest on this podcast. I really hope you enjoy this one.
Unmoored
This episode is a departure from many of the episodes you will hear on this podcast. I never thought I would publish this episode, but after some encouragement, I figured I would be vulnerable and speak it out into the world. It isn't polished and put together like most of my episodes attempt to be, you can even hear my kids monitors in the background. Thanks for listening and letting me keep it real with all of you.
Gift Ideas for Clubfoot Cuties
In this episode I talk about about gift ideas for clubfoot cuties at different stages in of treatment: newly diagnosed in utero, casting/infant, toddler, and gift ideas for your clubfoot parents. With the holiday season officially upon on us, I wanted to give some ideas of gifts we received and loved, and gifts we wish we would have gotten.
Brooke Keller: 26th Ave Clubfoot Essentials
If you are a member of the clubfoot community in the US you are bound to come across 26th Ave Clubfoot Essentials which is owned and operated solely by Brooke Keller. Brooke is a fellow clubfoot mom who started her business of creating accessories for clubfoot items like bar covers and boot covers to bring joy to clubfoot families. We talk about how Brooke came up with the idea for her bar covers and how her business expanded through social media and the clubfoot community. Brooke is simply amazing and I can not wait for you to hear her story and to learn about all the products she makes for clubfoot cuties everywhere. https://26thaveclubfootessentials.com/
Shannon O'Shea: The Orthotist's Role in Clubfoot Treatment
Shannon O’Shea is an ABC-certified prosthetist/orthotist and the Area Clinic Manager and National Clinical Specialist: Pediatrics for Hanger Clinic. As a strong believer in education, Shannon is passionate about ensuring families feel comfortable with, and supported throughout, their care journey. Shannon and I discuss what exactly an orthotist is and the role they play during clubfoot treatment. We talk about how important parent education is to empower parents to feel successful and how the relationship between the orthotist and the parent can play a major part in helping parents feel confident bracing at home. Shannon talks about the importance of asking questions and reaching out for help when needed. Shannon was an absolute joy to speak with and I am very grateful that she was able to be guest on the podcast today. https://hangerclinic.com/pediatrics/
Blood Draw Routine
In this episode I talk about the routine we set up for our Cutie's frequent blood draws for her ITP. Similar to the BnB nightly routine, we wanted to set up a consistent routine to make each blood draw as successful as possible. I talk about our whole routine and the ways in which we advocated for her throughout the process. Hope you find it helpful!
Jessica Patay: We Are Brave Together
Jessica Patay is the founder of We Are Brave Together and mom to a medically complex child. We Are Brave Together might sound familiar because it is the organization that hosts the Virtual Support Group for Moms of Clubfoot Cutie, and I wanted to introduce you to Jessica because she is such an incredible advocate for her child but also for moms. She started We Are Brave Together with the intention to encouraging and serving caregiving moms everywhere through support groups, workshops, and retreats to help moms feel recharged and empowered on their caregiver journeys. I am so grateful to Jessica for being a guest on the podcast but also for all the work she has done to support moms everywhere. https://www.wearebravetogether.org/support-groups
Emotional Response to Clubfoot Diagnosis
Your child's clubfoot diagnosis comes with a lot more than figuring out the treatment path and all of it's logistics, it is a lot to emotionally process as well. So much of what I hear from families with clubfoot cuties is about the moment of diagnosis and all the subsequent emotions that went with it. In this episode, I open up about my emotional response to our cutie's diagnosis and encourage listeners to think about their own emotions surrounding the diagnosis as well.
Clubfoot Warrior Vedant's Mt. Kilimanjaro Climb
I became a huge fan of Vedant and his family before I ever had the chance to meet them. I watched Vedant's interview with his clubfoot doctor, Dr. Lim, and was so impressed by him and his story. Vedant and his parents talk about their clubfoot journey, accessing treatment, the social stigma of clubfoot, and their Mt. Kilimanjaro Climb fundraising event benefiting MiracleFeet. It was such an honor to host this incredible family on the podcast and I know you all will enjoy it just as much as I did.
Karen Moss: Founder and Executive Director of Steps Charity and Clubfoot Mom
In this episode I speak with Karen Moss, a clubfoot mom and Founder and Executive Director of Steps Charity. Karen talks about making the decision to travel from South Africa to Iowa to have her son treated by Dr. Ponseti himself and how that was the precursor to everything that happened after. Karen is an amazing clubfoot advocate whose organization's vision is to improve the lives of children born with clubfoot, and they do just that. Karen talks about the main pillars of their organization and their upcoming conference in South Africa in November. I am so grateful to Karen for being a guest on the podcast and hope that you enjoy this episode as much as I did.