14-year-old Eric Kilburn Jr stands at 6 feet, 10 inches tall, and is still growing. His feet are a size 23, which is not regularly made. He has suffered ingrown toenails and pain in his feet due to ill-fitting shoes for most of his life. He typically wears crocs or no shoes at all. He plays for the football team at his local high school and because he did not have cleats, he suffered a sprained ankle.
A pair of custom shoes for Eric would cost typically $1500 and would put a major strain on the family’s budget. All of the shoes that were a possible option were velcro orthotics, which Eric said he would rather go barefoot than wear.
A local reporter with Hometown Life published an article on Eric’s struggle to find proper-fitting footwear that went viral. Shortly after the family received support from all over. Under Armour and Puma are both working on creating custom shoes and cleats for Eric. A Go-Fund-Me was set up and has raised over $18,000 that the family plans to use to get him additional shoes as well as custom sports gear.
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