Ni Hao Yall

Jude came home from China five years ago. He was 16 months and had bilateral, unrepaired clubfoot.

We took him to Iowa for casting and we followed the bracing protocol to the letter.

And all went well until we took Jude out of his night-time boots, right before his sixth birthday.

He began to relapse on his right foot. The relapse rate for kids who are treated properly and braced properly is only about six percent. So I guess our sweet Jude is proving that he truly is one special guy.

Tomorrow we go for a sedated MRI to rule out any neurological component. Since Jude relapsed very quickly, there is a small chance that he could have a tethered cord. Our neurologist feels confident that this is not the case, but an MRI has been ordered to confirm.

Once the MRI is complete and – assuming he does not have a tethered cord – we will schedule surgery for our little man. He’ll need to have an anterior tibial tendon transfer.

*sniff*

So, if you think of it, please keep Jude in your prayers. Needless to say, this mama is the tiniest bit anxious about tomorrow.

And, assuming we get the all clear on the MRI, Jude and I will travel to Iowa for his surgery. Then he’ll spend six weeks in a non-weight bearing cast (using a walker or wheelchair) and then a full six months to recover completely.

I don’t think this is going to be quite the summer Jude had planned.