Kameka has been living with the DeMoss
famiy since September when the family
volunteered to host her while she has
corrective surgery to fix her club feet.
Kameka Alexander didn't want dolls, board
games, or fancy toys for Christmas.
Instead, the 11-year-old from the South
American nation of Guyana wanted nothing
more than to be able to wear her new purple shoes to match her new purple dress on Christmas Eve.
Her wish was granted thanks to the work of Dr. Francois Harton, who
volunteered to perform 5 1/2 hours of surgery to correct the girl's club
feet, and to Jeff and Heidi DeMoss, who are hosting the child until her
rehabilitation is complete at least until the end of the school year.
The casts Alexander has worn on her feet since her Nov. 7 operation at Holland Hospital were finally removed Tuesday.
"These are my new feet," she said, marveling at the improvement.
Alexander came to Holland on Sept. 17. Prior to the surgery Alexander's feet were turned inward and upside down.
"She was literally walking on top of her feet," said Heidi DeMoss, who picked up the girl at the Miami airport.
Alexander struck a deal with her doctor that if she could be walking by
Christmas Eve with the help of crutches, he'd let her wear her new
shoes to church instead of the chunky braces she now wears as part of
her rehabilitation.
Children in the United States born with club feet usually have them put in casts right after birth to rotate the bones into the correct
positions. The longer the feet are left untreated, the harder it is to
fix, as the bones harden with age, Harton said.
Alexander's parents tried to have the club feet corrected in Guyana
when she was younger, but the surgery wasn't successful, said Heidi DeMoss.
"In this community we talk about faith a lot, but how many of us have
that kind of faith in God to send our child at 11, away for a year,"
Heidi DeMoss said. "She has had consistent schooling, she's not
malnourished. In her world she would be middle class, for our world she
would be living in poverty."
Alexander didn't just get to see her straightened feet for the first
time while living in the United States. It was in Holland she saw her
first snowfall, lived in her own room for the first time and enjoyed
the benefits being the oldest and biggest child.
Thousands of miles away from her home at the Northeaster tip of South
American near Brazil, Alexander will still get to celebrate Christmas
with family -- an American family with funny accents, but family
nonetheless, compete with little brothers she gets to boss around.</p><p>
In the coastal town of Rose Hall, Guyana, Alexander is the second
youngest of four siblings. There, she shares a bedroom with her younger
brother. Alexander said her older brother and sister often tell her
what to do.
"I like it here so much," she said with bright eyes and a little
giggle. "Sometimes I tell (twins David and Drew, 9) what to do."
There was the time she made David dance and sing Christmas carols
before she would share her candy, or the time she convinced the boys to
play her favorite video game.
"Up until now David and Drew only had each other, they didn't have any
other siblings this is wonderful for them to have another sibling, a
sister," Heidi DeMoss said.
Despite her club feet, Alexander was able to walk, run, and ride bikes,
though after a lot of activity Alexander's feet would often be red and
sore.
"I was amazed though at how well she could move around," Heidi DeMoss
said. "With pants on it just looked like she was standing screwy. It's
fascinating, it affected her mobility really not at all."Without proper
treatment, children with club feet will eventually live a life where
they have to crawl on their knees to get around or have their feet
amputated because of infection, Harton said.
Alexander arrived in Holland on a Sunday, registered with Holland
Public Schools on Monday and started fifth grade at Van Raalte School
on Tuesday.
"My favorite things are candy and going to school," said Alexander. "I'm going to miss my friends but not the snow."
The DeMosses found out about Alexander's need for housing when an
announcement was made at First United Methodist Church in Holland.
"I guess this is what God wanted me to do this year and when God tells you to do something, you do it," said Heidi DeMoss.
Children's Circle Mission of Rockford helped the child get to America.
Holland Hospital, Holland Pediatrics, Holland Foot and Ankle Centers
and Hanneken Physical Therapy all donated their services. First United
Methodist Church paid for and installed a wheelchair ramp outside the
DeMoss home.
Contact Beth Walton at elizabeth.walton@hollandsentinel.com or (616) 546-4273.
