Comments for Faculty and Staff News

Comment on In Memory of Dr. Ponseti by Sergio Maciel Aguilar

Sergio Maciel Aguilar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:48:52 +0000

This space is being used to write about the beneficial medical treatments received from Dr. Ignacio Ponseti.
I had the privilege to met him during my training in Anesthesiology and work whith him in the O.R.
Then showed me not only a soft spoken voice, but also a soft pair of hands performing surgery.
I am proud of that.
My sincere condolences to his family and the SUI community

Comment on In Memory of Dr. Ponseti by Pamela Karydas

Pamela Karydas — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:31:54 +0000

Dr. Ponseti’s Hands

Our baby’s foot he takes in hand,
And our hearts he holds there, too…
With the crooked little clubfoot, that couldn’t go into a shoe.
With patience and love unmatched,
And hands skilled by the years,
He stretches ligaments, moves bones, and wipes away the tears.
His hands gently mold the plaster, and
A miracle — the baby sleeps!
The changes he makes now are for a lifetime, for keeps.
Finished, sending us home with the bar,
“Don’t worry. It will be fine.”
His hands have worked their magic; the rest is up to time.
And in the end, we’ll see
Beautiful footprints in the sand,
And our children will walk painlessly
Because of Dr. Ponseti’s hands.
— Pamela Karydas, Sept. 2000

Comment on In Memory of Dr. Ponseti by Melanie Martin - Germany

Melanie Martin - Germany — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 22:09:07 +0000

Vielen, vielen Dank Dr. Ponseti.
Ohne Ihre Idee der Klumpfußtherapie könnte unser 3,5 jähriger Sohn nicht so toll laufen.
Ich bin jeden Tag dankbar dafür!!!
In tiefer Betroffenheit – Familie Martin aus Deutschland

Comment on In Memory of Dr. Ponseti by Dan Nerney

Dan Nerney — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:29:12 +0000

Thank you Dr, Ponseti! Our Daughter was an 8 of 10 bilateral clubfeet, the worst case our docs at Chicago’s Children’s Memorial Hospital had ever seen! If not for your method, who knows what our little girl would be doing. She is 4 now and told me today that she “can run a hundred miles in an hour”, she is fast and she can run, walk, stand, all things that she might never have been able to do if not for Dr Ponseti. Words can not express, but Thank you and Rest in Peace.

Comment on In Memory of Dr. Ponseti by Torsten Zimmermann

Torsten Zimmermann — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:11:39 +0000

Meine Familie bedauert den Tod von Dr. Ponseti. Vor 18 Monaten wussten wir nicht wer er war, doch kann unser Sohn heute, im Alter von 15 Monaten, laufen und das nur dank der von Dr. Ponsti entwickelten Methode, womit der beidseitige Klumpfuss sehr gut behandelt wird.

Dank an Dr. Ponseti

Comment on In Memory of Dr. Ponseti by Meredith Long

Meredith Long — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:56:13 +0000

Dr. Ponseti has meant the world to our family. Our youngest daughter was born in 2008 with bilateral clubfoot. We found out during a routine ultrasound and felt so devastated at the time. We began to do our research about what treatment was available. It all looked so scary and overwhelming. But when we learned about Dr. Ponseti and couldn’t believe he was only 2 hours away and still seeing patients! We began to email him to get more information and our minds were set at ease. We saw Dr. Ponseti for Abby’s first cast when she was about a week old. He was so quiet and gentle with her. He took his time and would stop when she got uncomfortable, always telling us how he would watch the babies face to see if they were in any sort of discomfort. He like to play Mozart for her because ‘babies love Mozart!’ It was so obvious these were his kids and he loved to see them progress and see us happy parents! He loved to see the babies begin to crawl, cruise and walk like any normal child. There was just something to gentle and soothing about his nature, Abby would just watch him. She was never scared. This journey could have been been so difficult for us but it all seemed okay because we knew we were in expert hands. We feel so incredibly blessed to have been able to meet him and to have had our daughter treated by him. He truly was a remarkable man who through is work has touch children all over the world! He will always be in our hearts! Thank you Dr. Ponseti and to your family for allowing you to help so many families for so many years! May you rest in peace.

Comment on In Memory of Dr. Ponseti by Dessi Pickett

Dessi Pickett — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:13:02 +0000

Dr. Ponseti changed the life of our son Daniel Pickett. Daniel was born with bilateral clubfoot. Orange County Children’s Hospital – CA – wanted to operate in 2002 – “one of Daniel’s feet was impossible to correct without surgery”. I read about Dr. Ponseti and his non-surgical method on the web. We took Daniel to Iowa when he was 2 weeks old. He was corrected with 6 casts (one extra to simply hold the correction since Dr. Ponseti and Dr. Morcuende were going to a conference). Dr. Ponseti devoted his life to the little patients. He would see the little guys even in his hotel room while on the road… He would pick up his home phone at any time. I have never seen such a devotion, such sacrifice, and such a magnificent support by his wife Helena. If there are any angels on earth, Dr. Ponseti and Helena must be ones! We love them dearly and feel they are part of our family. As 5 and 6 year old, Daniel was ranked number 2, 3 and 4 nationally in Snowboarding USASA – Halfpipe, Slope Style, and Slalom. Each time he would finish a competition, he would say” thank you Dr. Ponseti for fixing my feet and helping me get that gold!” Daniel is a very fast runner and a great soccer player too. Last week he asked: “how did Dr. Ponseti make my feet so fast?” We are all so very greatful! Dr. Ponseti will be in our hearts for ever! We will continue to convince surgeons and make sure Dr. Ponseti’s method is the only one used for the treatment of club feet!

Comment on In Memory of Dr. Ponseti by Joyce Mauck

Joyce Mauck — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:06:25 +0000

Dr. Ponseti was the answer to our prayers in 2005 after bringing our daughter home from China with untreated bilateral clubfeet. Prior to finding Dr. Ponseti the other doctors we had consulted said she was a surgical case due to her age and one doctor we traveled to told us she could possibly be an amputation case. Dr. Ponseti is a modern day miracle worker who believed he could correct her at the age of 3 1/2 years old, and that he did with 17 castings. He understood our daughter’s fears after just coming home from China and was always so loving and gentle with her. I’ll never forget him talking on the Elmo phone to her as she talked to him on her Minnie Mouse phone in clinic. He really understood and loved each child. Allison would often ask when we could go back to see our dear friend from “I-dawa” -Dr. Ponseti. Even though Iowa is 1500 miles from home, we always look forward to our time back there with our clubfoot family. We will miss him dearly. To us, Dr. Ponseti was a molder of dreams as I would watch him mold our daughter’s feet in his hands with each cast change so now she can do anything she dreams with her beautiful, straight, pain free feet. He has given Allison a gift of a lifetime and we will always hold him near and dear to our hearts. He will be greatly missed, but his legacy will live on as our children enjoy a life without physical limitations. My heart goes out to Mrs. Ponseti, his family, and his dear friends at U of I and around the world. The world is a better place because of Dr. Ponseti and we are so blessed to have known him!

Comment on In Memory of Dr. Ponseti by S.V.

S.V. — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:44:14 +0000

Words cannot express how thankful I am to Dr. Ponseti for curing my son. My son can walk, run and jump around thanks to Dr. Ponseti’s wonderful work.
My thoughts and prayers are with his family.
Thank you and may you rest in peace.

Comment on In Memory of Dr. Ponseti by S.V.

S.V. — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:41:08 +0000

Words cannot express how thankful to Dr. Ponseti for curing my son. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family. Thank you and may you rest in peace.