Meet four-year-old Pius. Pius lives with his parents and four siblings in Kenya.
When Pius was just nine months old, his left foot was badly burned in an accident. As the burns started to heal, scar tissue formed that caused the surrounding skin to become stiff and inflexible.
Now, Pius cannot wear shoes. When walking, only his left heel reaches the ground. In addition to the physical pain this causes, Pius’ peers often tease him. “All we want is for his foot to step down so that he can start wearing shoes like his siblings,” his father says. “It does not make sense to buy him just one shoe, so we have never bought him any.”
For $1,000, doctors can perform a contracture release and skin graft that will allow the damaged skin tissue to be replaced with healthy new skin around his foot. This will allow Pius to walk normally and reduce the pain that has been caused by walking on his heel. Let’s make sure Pius can slip into a new pair of shoes and show off his regained mobility!