Parents think of many, many things when they bring their child to Shriners Hospitals for Children — St. Louis for care of lower-leg issues: medical history, insurance information and snacks for the drive to and from.
Whether their child’s shoes will fit when the doctors and nurses are finished with their work usually isn’t one of them.
“If we fit a child with a brace, those braces are hard to get into a regular shoe,” said Darren Rottmann, manager for orthotics and prosthetics at the St. Louis Shriners Hospital. “Many times, parents will have to leave and go try to find a pair of wide shoes before they can take their child home. That’s a major inconvenience during an already trying time.”
It’s an inconvenience a donation from Zappos Adaptive aims to alleviate. The Las Vegas-based company recently sent a pallet of BILLY’S Footwear shoes – 285 pairs in various sizes and styles – to the St. Louis Shriners Hospital.