• Meet Kalyan

    Until she was 3, Kalyan couldn’t walk — or even stand. Kalyan was born in Cambodia with arthrogryposis. The condition caused her joints to contract, affected her hands and complicated treatment of her clubfeet. Instead of having surgery on her clubfeet soon after birth, Kalyan had to wait until she was adopted at the age of 2.

    Shortly after Meg and Stephen brought 2-year-old Kalyan home to Minnesota, she had surgery at Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare. Afterward, Kalyan wore a series of casts to position her feet properly and make bearing weight more comfortable.

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    “After her surgery, she was fitted for ankle and foot orthoses. And once that happened, she started taking steps — and she hasn’t stopped since,” Meg says.

    “I believe there’s nothing she can’t do if she sets her mind to it,” says Meg. “Whether it’s knitting or climbing stairs, or playing baseball, she figures out a way to get it done. She has a wonderful spirit that sparkles out of her.”