The family of a huge 14-year-old boy from Michigan who is 6-foot-10 and 23-foot tall has been asking for help finding shoes that actually fit him.
Eric Kilburn Jr. of Ortonville, near Flint, wore size 22 shoes, but they were still too small for him and caused discomfort from painful calluses, blisters, and ingrown toenails from outgrowing shoes.
His mother, Rebecca, 36, asked for help finding shoes that could accommodate her unusually large feet, given that the average American male shoe size is 10.5.
‘At 14, he’s still growing. Most kids this big and tall at this age have an endocrine disorder and he doesn’t. He has no health problems with exponential growth,” he said. Hometown Life.
Even in first grade, Eric could already wear a women’s size 12. In seventh grade, family and friends were told to watch out for shoes size 17 and up, to plan for the future.
Eric Kilburn Jr., a 14-year-old boy from Michigan who is 6-foot-10 and 23-foot tall has been looking for help finding shoes that fit him well.
Eric Kilburn Jr. has been experiencing discomfort from painful calluses, blisters and ingrown toenails due to his poor fit.
Eric’s mother has asked for help finding shoes to fit his unusually large feet, given that the average American male shoe size is 10.5. In the photo, size 22
At one point, Eric was forced to wear Crocs for two years, even through the middle of winter, because there were no other options available to him besides expensive $1,500 custom orthotics that he would quickly outgrow.
Although Rebecca offered to buy her son a pair, Eric felt uncomfortable wearing them because they only came with Velcro closures.
“I’ve spent hours crying feeling like I’ve failed my son because I can’t find what he needs,” Rebecca told Today. “It’s frustrating like her mother and not being able to find shoes, which is such a basic need. I can’t find shoes for my teenager. What can I do when his feet grow?’
‘The orthotics catalog consisted mainly of Velcro shoes. Eric said, ‘I’d rather be barefoot.’ she said. It’s hard enough to stand out like he does. You don’t want to be the giant kid walking down the aisle in old man’s Velcro shoes.
The Kilburn family is pictured with dad, Eric Sr., Eric Jr, brother Graesyn and mom Rebecca.
Eric’s mother, Rebecca, 36, asked for help finding shoes that could accommodate her unusually large feet.
For two years, Eric, pictured with his brother Graesyn, had to wear crocs to protect his feet.
Eric says he already gets a lot of questions, not to mention stares from people stunned by his size, and he’s contemplating printing business cards that will give people the answers to common questions people want to know, even if he plays basketball, does he? . No.
After a local Michigan reporter published an article about Eric’s struggle to find shoes that fit him, his story went viral and the family received an outpouring of support.
For years, shoe manufacturers would simply tell the family, ‘Sorry, there’s nothing we can do.’
A Nike representative told him: “The only way you’d have a size 22 is if it was made for a professional athlete and they didn’t wear it and it ended up back in circulation.”
Size 22 seems to be the maximum, but Eric needs a size 23 or 24. The average shoe size in the NBA is 14.
Eric will receive basic sneakers, basketball shoes, and soccer cleats.
Eric, pictured in his crocs from a couple of years ago with his little brother.
But the celebration is on at least with Under Armor and Puma now offering to create custom shoes and cleats for Eric, while Cat Shoes intends to send him boots.
Under Armor says Eric’s feet will be the biggest pair they’ve ever made shoes for.
“We’re in a rarefied space, there aren’t that many people in the world in these sizes,” said Robb Cropp, the company’s senior director of footwear development. ‘We had to help. We know the importance of sport for children and their development.’
Puma is also looking to do something similar.
“There’s no mold size for this, because it’s a rarity from a mass production perspective,” said Max Staiger, Puma’s head of basketball operations. “What we’re going to do looks and feels like a normal shoe, with just a little adjustment. …We have done this before with no problem. $1,500 for any pair of shoes is almost crazy, I don’t care what size it is.’
Eric will receive basic sneakers, basketball shoes and soccer cleats, while an Italian company, Mauri, offers to make dress shoes for school and more formal occasions.
Eric says he’s looking at printing business cards that will give people answers to common questions people want to know, even if they play basketball.
“It has restored my faith in humanity,” Rebecca replied. “I hit so many dead ends with people laughing when I called to ask about the shoes. It was a very lonely feeling. And now we are overflowing with support, generosity and kindness.’
“It’s been overwhelming,” he said. USA Today. ‘I’ve been this pool of emotions, all good… It’s the coolest thing to say we made it! He has shoes! I don’t usually cry, but I have been in a constant state of happy tears… We are so grateful.’
TO GoFundMe has raised almost $23,000 for the family, and Rebcca also started a Facebook group called the ‘Big Shoe Network’ to help people find great shoes to buy.
Eric still wears his size 22 Nike shoes (the same size NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal wears), but the family is grateful for all the support they’ve received.
“It’s a dream for him to have shoes and boots and heels,” Rebecca said. ‘That would be wonderful … . It is heavy on my heart as a mother not to find such a basic need.”