‘I want to walk my daughters down the aisle’: Peterborough dad fundraising for life-changing brace for club foot
“I’ve not been able to be the dad that I want to be. It won’t turn back time, but I’ll be able to do so much more.”
A Peterborough dad, who was born with a birth defect preventing him from taking part in activities with his daughters, is fundraising for an ankle brace, which has the potential to change his life.
John Millard, 36, from Gunthorpe, was born with Talipes – known as a club foot – which is where a foot, or both feet, turn in and under.
The condition affects one in every 1,000 babies born in the UK each year, according to the NHS.
John, who lives with his wife, and two daughters aged 16 and nine, is hoping to raise £5,000 for a specialist ankle brace, which is not currently available through the NHS.
The brace uses kinetic energy to alleviate pain in the foot, ankle and leg – which John has suffered from his entire life.
"I’ve not been able to be the dad that I want to be as the pain holds me back,” John said.
“I don’t feel like I’ve been the best dad because I’ve not been able to do things with my daughters, which normal dads do – like going on long walks, or taking them to theme parks.
"I’m in constant pain and it’s taken a lot away from my girls.
"It won’t turn back time, but I’ll be able to do so much more. My attempt to make it up to my daughters would be to be able to walk them both down the aisle.”
John even considered amputation, until he discovered the ankle brace.
"If I do nothing there’s a 100 per cent change that my life will get progressively worse,” he said.
“There’s a man in America who I speak to who has the same condition as me, but on both feet.
"He’s got two braces and he goes running and mountain climbing – it’s incredible. For something that could benefit so many people it’s so far out of reach because of the cost.”
To help John raise the money needed for the ankle brace, you can donate to his Just Giving page by clicking here.