Page 8 - CMTeen_Volume1_Issue3

Lessons from the Feet

By Isabelle Tate

Izzy, 13, is in the MY NAME IS ISABELLE TATE, but most people call me Izzy, which is also my stage
eighth grade at name. Before I started the seventh grade last year I was diagnosed with an extremely
Grassland Middle rare form of CMT and tight Achilles tendons.
School in Franklin,
Tennessee. My feet have given me such a good perspective on life: Don’t stare, don’t judge a book
by its cover and appreciate every single thing you have. You don’t truly learn these
{8} things until you’ve experienced them firsthand.

Like a lot of girls, I love shoes. In my case, though, my feet decide what I can and can’t
wear. Ever since I was a child I have walked on my toes, though I could still walk on
my flat feet. Up until a year ago I could slightly spread my feet apart and stand on my
flat feet and I was still walking pretty normally.

Going into seventh grade last year, I wore flats, but eventually I could only wear wedge
heels. By the end of the year, I couldn’t wear flats, I slid down the stairs, and I had to
hold onto things to keep my balance. At first I was made fun of because all I wore the
entire school year were wedges or brown wedge boots. I remember looking so forward
to wearing high heels and… now they’ve lost their fairytale magic.

Towards the middle of the school year, my heels started curving in, causing me to
fall sometimes. At the beginning, some people stared, but not everyone. I still felt