I know A Guy

You ever hear this before? Usually happens when you are telling someone about how your car needs repairs but the three repair guys you took it to are going to charge an astronomical amount of money. Or you want concrete poured, but you can't get anyone over to your house to give you a quote. The person you are talking to will respond "Hey, I know a guy..." Not sure about everyone else, but for us, it rarely pans out. Often, their 'guy' has either moved, or raised the prices recently. Often, but not always.

The boys needed new shoes. For those of you with little boys, you will understand this mathematical equation

boys+bikes=missing toes from shoes

Or maybe it is just my boys who drag their feet to turn, slow down, do tricks, stop, etc.

Regardless, they needed new shoes. And, I dread shopping for shoes for Matthew. Not only do I need to find a pair that he likes, I have to find a pair that he likes AND that his AFO fits into. AND now we have the added bonus of finding a shoe that has minimal tread so a lift can be attached.

I know. I had posted about the shoes at Keeping Pace but after finding out I would need to buy them without getting a chance to try them on, I was leery. They may not work for his unbraced foot.

So, off we went to the stores. I lucked out. After 45 min and two stores, I found a pair that fit, had little tread, and, after some fast talking, he tried them on and liked them. Yay! Matthew only had one request...ok...demand. He refuses to have a lift put on the new shoe because it makes the shoe heavy.

The next day, Matthew saw Steve (his p/t) and was showing off his new shoes. I asked Steve what our options are for lifts. Told him why Matthew didn't want to have a lift put on. Steve said "I know a guy..."

I decided to check him out. I stopped in and talked to Tony. Told him what we needed. He looked at Matthew's shoe. Then, he showed me a man's running shoe he had just finished. He said, "I split the sole, added a light weight material, then reattach the sole. I can do this shoe for $50" I looked at the man's shoe. Held it. It felt lighter then Matthew's old shoe with the lift.

I looked at Tony and smiled. I said we'd be back.

I will share photos when I get a chance to get his shoe done. I have a feeling Tony and I will become good friends.

So for any of you who need lifts in Calgary, I know a guy...