Woman Creates Shoe Exchange After Losing Her Right Foot
Malorie Thompson
Having a body part amputated comes with so many challenges. There are so many little things to deal with that we wouldn't even think about until it came right down to it.
Take, for instance, shoes. If you have a foot amputated, you only need one shoe but shoes are always sold in pairs. It seems wasteful to buy two perfectly good shoes only to throw one away, but that's the reality many one-footed people face.
49-year-old Jo O'Callaghan from Kent in the United Kingdom is one of those people. According to Wales Online, she had her right foot amputated and could only wear shoes on her left foot. She got tired of looking at her pile of single shoes that weren't being used and she decided to do something about it.
Thus, Jo's Odd Shoes was born. The Facebook group allows people who only need one shoe to browse and exchange shoes that are unneeded due to amputation and illness.
According to Wales Online, Jo said: "I remember looking at this pile of odd shoes and thought it was so silly that I had them all. I couldn’t exactly take them to a charity shop as they weren't a pair. So, I set up the page and it took off."
It may seem like a minor thing, but having access to single shoes can make a profound difference in some people's lives. Plus, it saves a shoe from going into a landfill!
"There's a man in the group who hasn't worn a shoe in years because he didn’t see the point in buying a pair. Now he gets loads of odd ones off us and his grandchildren call him trendy. Doing this gives me something to get up for every day - even when I'm in pain," she added.
You can keep up with Jo on Instagarm, @josoddshoes.
