GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A single mother was grateful after a West Michigan company stepped in to help after her daughter's leg braces were stolen.
Dominique Purnell was constantly smiling during her daughter's appointment on Thursday. A big difference from where we were a month ago.
It was a special moment for nine-year-old Nadara Purnell at Hanger Clinic.
"I love them, but they are heavy, though," Nadara said after getting her new leg braces.
Nadara needed custom leg braces to help her walk. Dominique says her daughter has incredibly tight tendons and walks on her tiptoes.
"She has gait issues, so the braces are really essential for her daily to be able to walk normally," Dominique added.
The two were waiting for a pair a month ago. Dominique says someone snatchedthe $3,000 braces from her front doorstep in a matter of seconds.
Naturally, she and her daughter were distraught, but then Hanger Clinic in Grand Rapids stepped in.
"This is her daytime brace. This is going to help her walk on her flat feet during the day. Then we also have a nighttime brace for her to wear at night to stretch out her muscles so that way she can avoid Botox and surgery hopefully," Hanger Clinic Certified Orthotist Lance Weersma said. "I was just grateful that they finally found a solution. Obviously, they were dealt a really tough situation by having these braces stolen. And they deserve this. And I'm just glad that they could get things put back on track."
"The moment I saw them on her, I felt instant relief that I no longer have to worry how her feet are going to turn out," Dominique said.
Thanks to Hanger Clinic, Nadara is also walking away with shoes that fit around these braces.
"Our motto here is you have the time, and you have the ability. You have an obligation. And we really felt like we wanted to do this for Nadara," Weersma said.
"We're grateful that things turned around and we have new braces," Dominique added.
As for the person who reportedly stole the leg braces, Dominique says people who watched our initial story have seen him around. She adds that, unfortunately, no arrests have been made.
