In Her Own Shoes At Last!

Doctors advised Phenyo’s parents to amputate her leg – but they refused and today the little girl is walking tall

- Lesego Maja

THEY were a mom and dad with a dream to see their daughter walk on her own two feet in a pair of pretty shoes.

Now their precious little girl is living proof that dreams do come true – and testimony to the fact that parents should sometimes stick to their instincts, no matter what medical professionals may tell them.

After a long year toing and froing between home in Johannesburg and Florida in the United States, the Moropa family are loving being back together and looking forward to Christmas. And bubbly little Phenyo (3) is indeed standing on her own two feet – and even trying out a few dance moves.

“It’s nice seeing her walk, play around and do things,” the tot’s mom, Gillian (30), tells us when we meet them at their home in Midrand.

“She’s adjusting and it’s going to be a process but she’s doing better than I thought,” she adds.

Gillian and Phenyo are back in South Africa after spending almost a year in America where Phenyo underwent surgery to correct her tibial hemimelia.

The congenital lower limb condition – which affects one in every million babies worldwide – resulted in a shortened right tibia (shin bone), leaving Phenyo’s leg deformed and her foot turned in.

Doctors urged Gillian and her husband, Tshepo (33), to amputate their baby’s leg but the couple refused. There had to be something that could be done for her, they thought (Baby steps, 9 August 2018).

They did extensive research and eventually came across orthopedic surgeon Dr. Dror Paley, who specializes in limb-lengthening and deformity correction at the Paley Institute in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Gillian and Tshepo spent almost two years raising the $70 000 (R1 million) required for Phenyo to have the life-changing surgery – and today she can put on her favorite shoes.

It’s the greatest Christmas present of all.