Little Girl, 4, In Need Of Surgery Gets Helping Hand From Community

MATTITUCK, NY — A little girl whose smile melts hearts needs surgery to correct a birth defect — and the community is reaching out to help.

A GoFundMe page, "Charlize's Clubfoot Surgery," has raised $1,425 of its $10,000 goal in 19 hours.

"This is our daughter Charlize Marie," wrote Karly and Chris Lucarelli of Mattituck.

"Charlize was born four years ago with a clubfoot. A clubfoot is a type of birth defect that affects one in 1,000 babies," they said.

Without medical intervention, children with the condition will not be able to walk properly, or at all, the Lucarellis said.

Their daughter's clubfoot was diagnosed as being a complex clubfoot, which only affects five percent of children diagnosed with clubfoot, they said; treatment began when their baby was only one week old.

After embarking upon research during Karly's pregnancy, they decided that the "non-invasive form of treatment called the Ponseti Method would be best."

The Lucarellis found an orthopedic physician in New York City certified in the Ponseti Method and started her leg casting/manipulating at one week old, they said.

Charlize continued receiving weekly casts for six weeks then had a tenotomy, or surgical cutting of a tendon, and was casted again, they said.

"Charlize's foot didn't always respond the way the doctors had assumed it would. Charlize has been receiving physical therapy since the age of one, which has helped to prolong her relapse. Charlize then had to undergo another tenotomy and has been wearing nighttime orthotics since the age of four months," they said.

Typically, the couple explained, many children that are treated using the Ponseti Method are done with their clubfoot treatment by the age of three or four years old; however, because Charlize has needed many more interventions than other children with clubfoot, that's taken a bit longer.

At her most recent orthopedic checkup tendon transfer surgery was suggested, "in an effort to finally fully correct her foot due to the fact that even with physical therapy and her nighttime orthotics her foot is beginning to relapse," the Lucarellis said. "We felt it was important to receive a second opinion before moving forward with the surgery."

Finally, after additional research and many recommendations from other parents of children with clubfoot, the couple flew to see one of the "best clubfoot orthopedic doctors in the country, Dr. Matthew Dobbs. After meeting him and his amazing staff we could see why he came so highly regarded. Dr. Dobbs is located in St. Louis, Missouri and unfortunately, our insurance does not cover this doctor or hospital — but we know that having Charlize's tendon transfer and tendon lengthening surgery with him would give her the best chance of not relapsing."

Charlize's surgery with Dr. Dobbs is scheduled for March, 2017. The timeline includes traveling to the St. Louis Children's hospital for her to receive two pre-op casts and, in addition, follow up for two other post op casts.

"If we did not choose to move forward with her surgery her foot would continue to relapse and cause her to lose the ability to walk," Charlize's parent's wrote. "It's been a long journey for her but we are very hopeful that this is a step in the right direction."

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