Boy, 6, with rare condition which makes his feet grow at odd speeds forced out of school because his mum can’t afford his £300 special shoes
Spencer Kristianson's mother says her six-year-old son has been made to miss school as he is a 'health and safety risk'
A SIX-YEAR-OLD boy with different size feet is being forced to miss school after being classed as a health and safety risk, his mother has said.
Spencer Kristianson suffers from a rare condition that makes his feet grow at dramatically different speeds, meaning he needs £300 special shoes - that his mother can't afford.
Mum Amber Kristianson, 26, claims the unusual malady - which affects around one in every 30,000 people in the UK - means if the youngster is not wearing special shoes he is forced to miss school as he is a "health and safety risk".
But the exorbitant cost of the orthotic shoes means mum Amber cannot always afford the £300 every four months.
She said: "I can't afford the shoes as a single mum and Spencer has had to do without sometimes, which is frustrating for him because he can't go to school."
She said it was not the case of buying a pair of shoes from the shop, with the six-year-old consistently needing specialised shoes.
She said: "Without the shoes he's not allowed in the school because of health and safety and I accept that because there are hundreds of kids running around.
The dedicated mum said it was difficult to see her little boy miss out on his school days at Oyster Park Primary School.
She said: "It devastates me that he misses school because he absolutely loves his friends – he's very active and has just started rugby training.
"He's a really happy lad but if you look into his eyes now then you won't see an ounce of happiness in there.
"He is also being looked at for autism too and staying off school can't be good for him because it is a massive part of his routine."
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The young boy's condition, Klippel-Trenaunay Syndrome, causes a difference in the circumference size or length of one leg, known as asymmetric limb hypertrophy.
It means the young school boy needs to rely on custom-made orthotic shoes, with the type that Spencer needs not covered under the NHS.
The restaurant worker mum said: "He gets shoes every six months but by four months I'm on the phone because I know what is coming because he is a six-year-old and they just get wrecked.
"It's such a rare condition and nobody seems to know about it, I certainly haven't met anybody near me who has the condition or as kids who have it."
Oyster Park Primary School declined to comment.
The young boy's shoes are provided by the Steeper Group, who said: "Within our orthotics services where we treat Klippel-Trenaunay Syndrome, we prescribe specialist orthotic footwear that is custom-made to accommodate the size difference of the affected lower limb.
"The footwear may often be longer and wider on the affected side to accommodate these differences in limb size, and in many cases we need to add a shoe raise, to ensure the shorter limb is accommodated, the pelvis is levelled and there is no long-term detrimental effect on the spine.
"These prescriptions enable service users with Klippel-Trenaunay Syndrome to achieve a normal walking pattern and ensure well-fitting footwear, despite the difference in lower limb size."
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