Sister Wives, Maddie Brown-Brush, and her family have a huge milestone to celebrate. Daughter Evie Brush has started walking on her own.
Maddie posted an adorable video of Evie taking some of her first steps all by herself to her Instagram stories. In the video, Evie took three wobbly steps as she giggled. Evie’s dad Caleb could be seen in the background smiling, and Maddie captioned the video, “We have a walker!”
Evie’s prothesis assisted her to take her first steps
Evie meeting this developmental milestone is an even bigger victory since she is wearing her very first permanent prosthesis, and the independent steps are further proof that Evie will be able to get around just like any other toddler her age.
Evie has been seeing specialists to help develop her prosthesis, and earlier this month, after some trial and error with adjustments, she was finally able to have her custom leg and foot to wear.
Evie’s journey to walking started early on
It has been quite the journey to get Evie to this point. Maddie and Caleb were first made aware that Evie had some limb differences early on in Maddie’s pregnancy, after a routine ultrasound.
Initially, it was believed that Evie simply had oligodactyly, a congenital abnormality that presents with fewer than five fingers or toes on one hand or foot.
Evie was later diagnosed after her birth with FATCO syndrome. FATCO syndrome is a rare genetic condition in which bones and extremities do not fully develop, or are missing. In Evie’s case, she was missing her fibula, had a bowed tibia, is missing three fingers, and had a shortened forearm.
After educating themselves on Evie’s condition, Maddie and Caleb decided it was in Evie’s best interest to have her affected foot and part of her leg amputated. They received a lot of backlash from fans about their decision, and they were quick to defend their position and educate the public.
They explained that Evie received a Boyd amputation. This type of procedure is relatively new. With the surgery, the foot was amputated at the ankle, but the heel pad was preserved so that Evie will have a more natural gait and engage more of her muscles than if the heel pad was removed.
The intent of the procedure is to help Evie to have more typical and natural mobility with prosthetics than she would without them.
Maddie has taken to social media several times to explain to fans why this was the best option for her daughter and has also shared that it was not an easy decision to make.
With this new milestone checked off the list, Maddie can rest assured that her little girl has a determined spirit, and is as active as any other toddler.
Sister Wives’ is currently on hiatus at TLC