My introduction

September 21, 2004

I just signed up and in the welcome letter I was asked to introduce myself.

My name is Schaefer and I was diagnosed with CMT when I was about six

years old. After that initial diagnosis I was fitted with leg braces. I wore

leg braces for a year and the doctors decided to try night splints. I truly

hated those splints. They didn't help and felt like torture. Running in sports

was soon affected and I began to take flack from other kids. I was very active

at the time and therefore got into many fights with other kids. I knew I was

different at an early age.

I had my first surgery on my right foot when I was in the eighth grade. It hurt

like hell and I was told I would have a second surgery on my right foot and

another on my left foot in the coming years. On top of everything I was

diagnosed with scoliosis when I was six as well so I was also dealing with

wearing a back brace up until the end of six grade. The footsurgery was for

boney fusion in my right ankle, tendon transfers and the straightening of

several toes. This would all be repeated in my left foot as the years went by.

At age 15, I had some fusion of some vertebrae to help correct my problem with

scoliosis. Therefore I was to wear a plaster back brace for eight months. By

age 16, all surgeries were finished and then the healing began. Once the pain

went away I could really enjoy my new life.

Since then, I have been continuing exercise in the gym and outdoors. I

attribute my good health to exercise. However, I still have problems with my

feet and my balance seems to have deteriorated over the years. I refuse to use

a cane now, but my day may come soon enough. I am now 34, married and working

in sales for a liquor company in southern California. This is the short end of

the story. The bottom line is that surgery did help and I am hoping I will not

have to have another. If it will help, then so be it. I have a good life, a

good wife, and no one ever said life was easy. CMT just seems to have made it a

little more interesting.

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