Chris Rees of Cowichan Bay was born two and a half months premature with his right foot turned 180 degrees backward, which is a condition known as talipes or more commonly called a club foot.
Growing up, Rees never let adversity stop him form enjoying his childhood or stepping up to enjoy some sports — Rees was a catcher in baseball, a goalie in hockey, he played a lot of tennis and at one point was an avid mountain bike rider, and would make the trek from Mississauga, where he was living, to Toronto quite regularly and to Niagara Falls every summer.
"I hurt myself more than regular kids and fell down a lot but was an active kid," said Rees. "When I was younger I didn't notice as much of a problem other than that I walked a little funny because my one leg is shorter than the other, but it was all I knew so it didn't really hold me back."
Rees began calling the Cowichan Valley his home in 2010. Rees said it was that same year that excruciating pain showed up, and everything began to go downhill. The intensity of pain began at a level of three but has recently increased to an eight or nine.
"By this time, there was no cartilage left in the joint, and with the joint being deformed to this day I am unable to bend my foot up," said Rees. "Without the cartilage there, it has been in constant pain ever since. I can't stand on it for long periods of time, nor can I walk long distances. The pain has only gotten worse and worse with every passing day."
He described the pain as a constant bone ache in the joint and said when he steps on it a certain way, it clicks and pain shoots from his heel all the way up through his leg.
"The pain cascades," said Rees. "When I walk, I have to lock my knee, and that just makes the knee hurt, my hips hurt."
Rees, who is a single dad of two kids, said at one time they used to love to go for hikes or kick the soccer ball but he has not been able to do that for years.
Rees said that out of all of the challenges he encounters each day, bending over and getting dressed in the morning requires the most effort.
"Putting socks on has become a monumental challenge," said Rees.
He came up against disappointment when he met with a specialist at the Coleman Clinic in Duncan who tested his ankle tested for range of movement — he was told the best they could do for him was to fuse the joint, which means it would be essentially welded it one one place with the help of pins and while it would take away a lot of his pain, it would allow no movement at all.
Rees started at Duncan's Canadian Tire in 2012 where he worked as their parts manager for several years. After an unsuccessful stint of trying different pain management techniques including pain-killers that had little to no effect, through the help of his friends he began looking at other options, including overseas surgeries, but eventually, due to cost, moved it to the back of his mind.
Due to the increase in unbearable pain Rees was forced to take a leave from work in 2018, then returned back in 2022 taking on the role of assistant service manager.
Rees developed a new friendship with customer Adien Brown who took interest in his impairment, and suggested he start a GoFundMe page to get the ball rolling again and re-look at corrective surgery options.
"If everybody in the valley donated a couple of dollars Chris could have the surgery by the end of the summer," said Brown.
This revived interest has had Rees doing his research for the last four weeks where he stumbled upon Nordorthopaedics Clinic in Kuanas, Lithuania.
"This was only place that I could find online that actually published their pricing was in Lithuania," said Rees. "It's a specialized joint replacement hospital and they have done a lot of work with football players and Olympic athletes. They do all kinds of joints including ankles; they have an amazing track record that is almost 100 per cent."
One of the best parts about the procedure in Lithuania is the price. Rees said that the cost of the surgery including his flight and accommodations there would be around $16,000, which he feels would be realistic to raise through the GoFundMe page.
"To get this surgery would be life changing," said Rees. "From everything I read I might not be able to do high impact sports, but I would have full range of movement. I'd be able to exercise again, bike ride, play floor hockey again and do more things with my kids.
"I cant wait for the day I can go for a good bike ride again, maybe get back to setting up the floor hockey that we used to do in front of the stores on Sunday nights," said Rees. "After work, we used to drag out some nets and I'd put all my goalie gear on, and we'd have a round. Knowing that there are people in the community who want to see and help me get this surgery leaves me speechless. Until Adrien brought it up, I would have never even thought of starting a GoFundMe page, I have always kept secluded, and tried to do everything myself. To make this surgery possible would just be amazing."
To assist Rees get a little less pain and more pep in his step, visit 'Donate to replace a bad ankle" on GoFundMe.
