Michigan mom searches all over the world for shoes for her son: his foot is 40 cm long

Like most mothers, Rebecca Kilburn wants to provide her children with everything they need, including basic necessities like shoes. This proved to be a problem with her 14-year-old son Eric Jr. The teen is a size 23 (about 40cm at the moment) and his mom is desperately looking for someone to make shoes that size at an affordable price. The edition told in more detail USA Today.

Photo: IStock

“At 14, he’s still growing,” she said. “Most big and tall children at this age have endocrine disorders, but he doesn’t.” He has no health problems with exponential growth.”

However, Eric Kilburn has health issues that come from not being able to find shoes in the right size. The 6-foot-10-inch (208 cm) student underwent six painful procedures on his feet to fix ingrown toenails, which eventually resulted in permanent removal of his big toenails.

This fall, while playing on the junior varsity football team, he sprained his ankle. It wouldn't have happened if he was wearing boots instead of sneakers.

Eric hadn't had any cleats or warm boots for the Michigan winters for five years.

“I could have everything if there were shoes that fit me,” he laments.

Crocs sneakers

According to the mother, when Eric was born, the obstetrician who delivered Rebecca went to her husband, Eric Sr., and told him that their son had the biggest legs he had ever seen in a newborn. The doctor accurately predicted that their child's feet would not fit into children's shoes. However, Rebecca and Eric Sr. never imagined they would have trouble finding shoes for their son in the future.

When Eric Jr. was in first grade, his mother, who wears a women's size 12, could already put on her son's shoes to go to the mailbox. And already in the seventh grade, the size of his feet became a serious problem. Rebecca asked close friends and family to look for shoes in his then size 17 and plus sizes in anticipation of future growth.

On the subject: He knows the size of the legs of the stars of the first echelon: how a Ukrainian in the USA makes shoes for world celebrities

Eric wore Crocs for two years when there were no other shoes in his size.

He's currently wearing size 22 trainers that don't fit him - a friend found them at a Nike store. At that time, Rebecca arranged to purchase six other pairs of the same size from the store for the bargain price of $25 per pair. They are all too small now.

"We don't make these sizes"

Over the past year, Rebecca has spent countless hours searching the internet and calling shoe companies including Nike, Reebok, Adidas, Under Armor and Red Wing Shoes, as well as independent shoemakers.

When she explains what shoe size she needs, she is greeted with disbelief and laughter. Then comes the unequivocal answer: "We don't make those sizes."

Rebecca said she spoke to a Nike rep. She was told: "The only way to get a size 22 is if it was made for a professional athlete, but not used, and he was back in circulation."

A Nike spokesperson told Rebecca that the company would only make shoes for her son if he became a professional athlete. Eric dreams of playing in the National Football League (NFL). But Rebecca is at a loss: how is this even possible if she cannot provide Eric, who would like to play basketball, with the right equipment for high school sports?

Rebecca believes the Nike sneakers her son now wears were made for Taco Fall, a 7-foot-6 Senegalese native who previously played pro basketball for the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers."

Shoe size 22 is worn by the famous basketball player Shaquille O'Neal. This is the largest size a mother has found among professional athletes, and now her son has surpassed even Shaquille.

Eric's size 22 shoes have been stretched, but even after that, they hurt him and lead to blisters. He needs at least the 23rd size, and maybe even the 24th.

"It's a weight on my heart"

While he mostly enjoys being tall, Rebecca said that Eric has had to deal with injustices in a world designed for smaller people, from being unable to fit into normal seats on planes and attractions at Cedar Point to making hurtful comments.

"He's a great kid and he does it well, but being tall and standing out isn't always a good thing," Rebecca said.

And of course, the main problem is that it is impossible to find the right size shoes.

Rebecca has found a company in Italy that can help. She is going to make casts of Eric's feet and send them abroad, though she doesn't yet know how much it might cost.

In the meantime, she chooses the only path she has found available at the present time - shoes custom-made by an orthopedic specialist. It's like sneakers and not as cool as Eric's size 22 Nike, and not as cheap at $1500 a pair. And their insurance doesn't cover it.

A family friend created a Go Fund Me page to help Eric buy shoes for now and for the future. The day after the page was opened, $2600 of the planned $3500 was credited to the account, enough for several pairs of shoes.

You may be interested in: top New York news, stories of our immigrants and helpful tips about life in the Big Apple - read it all on ForumDaily New York

Graycin, the youngest son of the Kilburns, is 11 years old. He is about 5 feet 10 inches (177 cm) tall, wears size 12 shoes, and doesn't seem to be aiming for the record feat like his older brother.

Eric finds comfort in this situation by vying for the title of teen with the biggest legs and arms after applying for the Guinness Book of Records.

“I think my chances are pretty solid,” he said.

The current record appears to be held by Lars Motz, a German who turned 2018 in 16 and whose feet have grown to about 35 centimeters each, meaning he wore size 21 shoes in the US.

The world record attempt is part of a family effort to bring attention to their unique mystery and find someone willing to make shoes at an affordable price.

“He dreams of having shoes, boots and cleats,” Rebecca said. - That would be wonderful. As a mother, it’s hard for me not to satisfy such a vital need.”

Read also on ForumDaily:

Emotional support plant: US hotel chain gives out potted flowers to cheer guests up

Don't Believe the US Tax Myths: What You Need to Know Before Filing in 2023

New drug completely cured 18 out of 60 participants of the experiment of aggressive cancer

Scientists say that older people should do yoga: it slows down the aging process of the body

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.