Mom Has Hard Time Finding Son Shoes And The Reason Is Wild
Neither one of my parents are tall, so I really didn’t have much of a chance. I’m 5’3 and I’ve always wished I was taller. But the grass is always greener as the saying goes. There’s a mom going viral because she can’t find her son shoes to fit him. And the reason is because they don’t make shoes BIG enough for him.
Rebecca Kilburn is truly on a quest to find shoes big enough to fit her 14-year-old son Eric Jr. He’s still growing and already has size 23 feet. That’s bigger than basketball great Shaquille O’Neal. He wears a size 22.
According to USA Today, the Michigan mom has had quite the struggle finding shoes large enough for her son. And she’s looking all over the world. Eric Jr. has no health issues or endocrine issues, he’s just a big kid. The 6-foot, 10-inch freshman has already had six painful foot surgeries for in-grown toenails on his feet because of wearing shoes too small. He plays football and can’t find cleats large enough to fit him, so he just wears regular sneakers, which have caused foot problems.
Kilburn is 6’2 and her husband is 6’5, so they weren’t shocked when their son was tall. But they didn’t anticipate his feet growing so large. Although they were given a heads up! The doctor that delivered their son said he had the biggest feet he’d ever seen on a newborn. Eric Jr.’s feet wouldn’t fit into baby shoes and by the time he was in the first grade, he was wearing a woman’s size 12. I’m 53 and I wear a woman’s size 7 1/2 or 8 for comparison.
By the time Eric Jr. was in middle school, his feet were already a size 17. Often, he would wear Crocs when shoes his size couldn’t be found. Kilburn is constantly trying to find size 23 shoes for her son, and when she calls shoe companies, they often tell her they don’t make that size. Nike and other shoe companies have explained that the only way a size 23 would be made is for a professional athlete.
Eric Jr., who towers over his teammates on the football field, wants to eventually play in the NFL. And his family fully supports his dreams! But his mom doesn’t know how he’ll reach his goals if she can’t find the proper size shoes for him. I can’t imagine her frustration! Finding a size 23 shoe is nearly impossible, and custom shoes are extremely expensive.
A company in Italy may be able to help the young man. Kilburn is sending casts of her son’s feet to the overseas company but has no clue what the custom shoes will cost. Right now the only option they’ve found is having custom-made shoes for the teen by an orthopedic specialist. Each pair of shoes costs $1,500, which the family must pay out of pocket.
With Eric Jr.’s shoe-size and his shoe hunt going viral, hopefully a shoe company here in America will step up to help the teen. Wearing shoes too small is very uncomfortable as we all know, and I can’t imagine the pain this kid has to go through.
As I was writing this blog, I saw an update! Apparently, PUMA and Under Armor are helping the Kilburn’s and making custom shoes for Eric Jr. Awesome! Other companies are reaching out to the family to help Eric Jr. with whatever he needs. Sometimes social media and the internet are good!
Rebecca Kilburn's 14-year-old son Eric Jr. has size 23 feet.
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) March 19, 2023
His mom is desperately looking for someone who will make shoes in that size at an affordable price.https://t.co/wMT9FVYlYg
