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My name is John August. I am 57 years old. I am a type 2 diabetic with severe neuropathy in my feet. I was a home building contractor and was diagnosed in 1990 when I stepped on a screw putting a fence up in my backyard. It went through my workshoe, deeply penetrated my foot, and I didn't feel it. I walked on it all day, made a mess of the sole of my foot. I was tired that night, had trouble getting my shoe off because the screw was in it connected with my foot. I had black socks on and didn't see any bleeding. Next morning I couldn't get my shoe back on. I was hitting my toes on the screw. I put my hand in the shoe and felt the screw. I turned the shoe upside down and saw the screw had gone all the way through the sole. I looked at the sole of my foot and was horrified at the wound which was now infected and the infection was tracking across my foot and up my leg. I had very painful cellulitis. I was in intensive care the first night in the hospital with a high fever and in serious trouble. I spent 13 days in the hospital on IV antibiotics. Every few hours my wound was checked, drained, sometimes by scalpel incisions. I was facing the possibility of "amputation or worse", my doctor phrased it. I survived intact and had a long out patient recovery. A year later, I went to my cellar in my slippers. I stepped on another screw in the other foot. I didn't feel that wound either and ended up back in the hospital for 10 more days. That time I received a dire warning: "Find a way to protect your feet or you will lose them and maybe more." I was told I'd have to have special shoes made, or wear those heavy, expensive work boots with steel insoles built into them. I went on a search for foot protection from puncture wounds and hoped I could find an insole that I could just slip into my sneakers, slippers, workshoes or whatever I wanted to wear. I couldn't find anything. I decided I would invent a puncture-proof insole and actually went to the military surplus store, bought some old combat boots, cut the sole apart, and there was a thin, flexible metal insole to protect from booby trap poisoned puncture wounds. I then did a patent/manufacturer search and found that the insoles were being manufactured. I contacted the company and was told that to purchase the insoles I would either have to go to their distributor or become a distributor myself. I became a distributor because I wanted to advise people that an inexpensive product is available that can prevent injuries and possible amputations for diaabetic/neuropathy victims as well as many others!
I hope this story explains why I am so passionate about this product. It literally saved my life. If there were to be a fire tomorrow, I would grab my shoes with the insoles first before trying to escape. That is how important they are to me.
I've received mail from a mother whose son wanted to try her insoles. He put them in his tennis shoes and went out to work on his clubhouse and run with his friends in the woods, through creeks, and do the things 12 year old boys do. Over the course of a couple of weeks he told her of two instances where he inadvertantly stepped on boards with nails in them that went through his shoes but were stopped by the insoles. I know there are a lot of non-diabetic people out there who could also use this product. If you know of anyone, please send them here or to my site where I sell the insoles at: |