Current:Home > BackThis teen wears a size 23 shoe. It's stopping him from living a normal life.-InfoLens
This teen wears a size 23 shoe. It's stopping him from living a normal life.
View Date:2024-12-23 15:30:37
When Jor’el Bolden was born, his feet were so big that his mother couldn’t find baby shoes to fit him.
He wore only socks on his feet during the first few months of his life, said his mom, Tamika Neal.
Now 16, he wears a size 23 wide shoe and has one lone pair of shoes that his family found on eBay. The shoes are pretty tight now, making it hard for him to get out and have fun.
Finding shoes to fit the 6-foot-5, 380-pound teenager is quite the task, his mom told USA TODAY Thursday night. His family got lucky when they found the pair he has now.
“We're doing the 22s but they’re small,” said Neal, who lives in Independence, Missouri, about 10 miles east of Kansas City. “(The shoes are) tight on his feet so we need a bigger size.”
Shaq called!Michigan teen with size 23 feet surprised by NBA legend after sharing shoe story
The teenager would love to be able to wear Jordans, Air Force Ones and other kinds of Nikes but it’s just not doable due to his size, his mom said.
The teen said his struggle to find shoes has been “torture.”
Recently he wanted to see a movie with his cousin and couldn’t because his shoes would’ve hurt his feet too much, he said.
“I have to wear the shoes that hurt my feet,” he told USA TODAY Thursday night. “Everytime I go out to walk and stuff it hurts my feet.”
Teen’s struggle to find shoes started at birth
Bolden was born at 7 pounds, 14 ounces and measured 21 inches long, his mom recalled. He was born with pretty big feet anyway, his mother said.
“We could not find a baby pair of shoes that would fit him because his little foot was so fat,” his mom said.
As he got older, it was a little easier to find shoes for him because his cousin wore the same size, his mom said.
“He would hand down his shoes to him and they would be in good condition,” she said, adding that her nephew also worked at a shoe store and would buy him shoes too.
“Probably the first six years of his life, I didn't have to worry about it because my niece and nephew took care of that,” Neal said.
It wasn’t until her son was about 11 years old that finding shoes became an issue again. As a preteen, he wore a size 10 or 11 in men’s.
What’s next for Jor’el?
Neal said she is a single mom and does her best to provide for her children. Not being able to meet her son’s basic needs and find shoes bothers her.
She started a GoFundMe to raise money to get him more shoes, she said. As of Friday morning, the family has raised nearly $10,000.
“I really am grateful and thankful for those that have really shown up for us and shown out,” she said. “It most definitely has been a blessing during this time to see people pull together and really show up for us.”
Her son likes to draw video game and cartoon characters, he told USA TODAY. After talking to a local business owner named Titus Ozell Golden, he may take up wrestling, boxing and more.
Golden is also based in Missouri and runs Ozell Brand, making shoes and cleats. Golden reached out to the family and plans to get shoes made for the teenager.
“I’ve just got to get his feet measured,” the teen’s mom said.
From there, they’ll get the teen shoes that fit and hopefully, he’ll have more freedom.
Not the first size 23 teen struggling to find shoes
Bolden's quest for comfortable footwear harkens back to a Michigan teen who had a similar struggle, and ultimately got help from Shaquille O'Neal to get shoes that fit.
Eric Kilburn Jr., who at 14 years old had size 23 feet, saw his football season ruined by a sprained ankle. His mother, Rebecca Kilburn, would begin a search for comfortable shoes.
The family's search got the attention of a million of readers, the 7-foot-1 O'Neal and shoe companies like Under Armour and Puma.
A million readers, two shoemakers, Shaq:How a teen finally got shoes for size 23 feet
Finally, after a fairly lengthy process, Under Armour donated four pairs of custom-made cleats and two pairs of SlipSpeed training shoes to Goodrich High School, which in turn gave them to Eric. (The donation followed state athletic guidelines and ensured he can maintain amateur athlete status.)
“I got my cleats before conditioning practice and it was an immediate difference,” Eric said at the time to Hometown Life, part of the USA TODAY Network.
“It’s insane how much more traction I got. It’s mind-boggling.”
Contributing: Susan Bromley, Hometownlife.com
veryGood! (463)
Related
- Halle Berry surprises crowd in iconic 2002 Elie Saab gown from her historic Oscar win
- After storms like Francine, New Orleans rushes to dry out
- Minnesota school bus driver accused of DUI with 18 kids on board
- Opinions on what Tagovailoa should do next vary after his 3rd concussion since joining Dolphins
- The White Stripes drop lawsuit against Donald Trump over 'Seven Nation Army' use
- Father of Georgia school shooting suspect requests separate jailing after threats
- Nicole Kidman speaks out after death of mother Janelle
- Jurors help detain a man who flees a Maine courthouse in handcuffs
- In an AP interview, the next Los Angeles DA says he’ll go after low-level nonviolent crimes
- Ex-NYC federal building guard gets 5-year sentence in charge related to sex assault of asylum seeker
Ranking
- Video shows masked man’s apparent attempt to kidnap child in NYC; suspect arrested
- 'We have to remember': World War I memorials across the US tell stories of service, loss
- Rachel Zoe and Rodger Berman, Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen and More Who Split After Decades Together
- Friday the 13th freebies: Feel lucky with deals from Krispy Kreme, Wendy's, Pepsi
- Jamie Lee Curtis and Don Lemon quit X, formerly Twitter: 'Time for me to leave'
- Are California prisons stiffing inmates on $200 release payments? Lawsuit says they are
- China is raising its retirement age, now among the youngest in the world’s major economies
- Usher Shares His Honest Advice for Pal Justin Bieber After Welcoming Baby
Recommendation
-
Republican Dan Newhouse wins reelection to US House in Washington
-
Texas’ battle against deer disease threatens breeding industry
-
Texas’ battle against deer disease threatens breeding industry
-
Caitlin Clark, Patrick Mahomes' bland answers evoke Michael Jordan era of athlete activism
-
12 college students charged with hate crimes after assault in Maryland
-
The Daily Money: Dispatches from the DEI wars
-
Conservancy, landlord headed to mediation amid ongoing rent dispute for historic ocean liner
-
Injured reserve for Christian McCaffrey? 49ers star ruled out again for Week 2