A New Adventure Begins

 Jacob and I are off on an adventure quite like none we have ever taken…it is exciting and scary all at the same time!

Jacob has double club feet.  We’ve seen many specialist in the area as well as in Boston.  We always heard the same answer of ‘it is what it is’…we turned our attention towards getting him stronger but in fact, he started to regress all the while causing him to fall more.

One day recently, I was on social media and saw a young girl whose mother had taken photos of her feet and posted them on a club foot moms page that I follow…they looked just like Jacob’s.  Everyone commented she should seek out Dr. Dobbs…he could fix them.  Of course, we got excited and started to research and liked what we found.  We presented it all to Jacob and he was filled with great excitement…and HOPE!  

After a few emails, we had an appointment in just days made with the specialist but on Zoom because he was located in FLORIDA!  I had to admit it was overwhelming to think of the logistics but how could we not pursue this opportunity?  This kiddo has big plans and his feet are what are holding him back…and we were off!

Many phone calls, flights, lodging and car rentals and the we were off!  We prayed for God’s provision, safe travels and many God ‘sightings’ as we gathered the night before we left as a family.

It was a busy day of travel…exciting and tiring!  We stayed at Molly’s house in Stuart, Florida because it is a place for parents traveling with their kids who are just like us.  They accommodated us, gave us a place to rest and call home during our stay.  There were other families to connect with too!

That evening we stopped for a pizza around the corner from Molly’s place.  I’m was ok and close by.  While we were there, a lady at the next table turned and asked Jacob where he was from.  That struck up a conversation with her entire family as she introduced us to her adopted daughter from China, as well as her  son and husband.  We talked about our trips to China and how they travel for their daughter’s care to Ohio.  They totally understood why we were seeking out the medical care for Jacob…and they invited us to dinner on our next trip.  How cool was that?  Oh, did I mention they were Christians too?  

On Monday afternoon, after a quick trip to the local beach (the waves were crazy big and too dangerous to go in), we drove the 45 minutes to the hospital.  A few wrong turns and some traffic, we pulled into Dr. Dobbs office.  We found the staff friendly and extremely helpful.  Dr. Dobbs examined Jacob, explained what he would do and casted Jacob’s leg to stretch it out.  We left with hope in our heart and Jacob had a bright red, white and blue cast!

 

We headed back to Molly’s and hung out and packed for our return trip the next day.  So many details swirled around our heads.  We talked about travel logistics, returning the rental car, and where we wanted to grab dinner.  We also talked about the next visit and all that it would involve-another cast, surgery and how to get Jacob on the plane.  Have to admit we laughed a bit as we hashed out the details.  

Jacob was treated with tender loving by the Southwest staff in Florida.  They boarded him first and got him settled.  They answered my many questions about our next trip and even reserved an extra seat for our surgery flight for him to put his leg up!  We were so thankful for the details and God’s grace being seen every step of the way!

We are home and getting rested for the next trip (4 in total just for this foot!) which is on Nov. 12th…so many logistics plus trying to plug in here at home, write out school plans and prepare medical equipment and thinking about all of the details.  It is a bit overwhelming for sure…we know we are here for such a time as this.  We are grateful for all who have reached out and helped in any way.  We are grateful for each and every one of you.