For most children, standing and walking are things they never have to think about. For 11-year-old Aldrin from the Philippines, they had been a daily challenge.

Aldrin was born with congenital knee dislocation, a rare condition in which the knee joints are positioned abnormally from birth. His knees bent backward, making standing painful and walking long distances extremely difficult. He also faced teasing because of his visible physical difference. 💔

When Aldrin arrived at Tebow CURE Hospital, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Tim Mead described the unusual position of his knees as bending backward “like a flamingo.”

Correcting a condition that had affected Aldrin for 11 years required a complex operation. Three surgeons spent around four hours carefully realigning his joints, tendons and femur bones before placing both legs in casts to allow the repaired tissues to heal.

But surgery was only the beginning.

Aldrin then began an intensive rehabilitation journey, learning first how to stand with his newly aligned legs and eventually taking steps with braces and a walker. ❤️

The Tebow CURE Children’s Hospital in the Philippines was established in 2014 through a partnership between the Tim Tebow Foundation and CURE International, with the goal of providing specialized surgical care to children who might otherwise have limited access to treatment.

For Aldrin, the journey was about more than straightening his legs. It was about gaining the opportunity to move through the world with less pain and greater independence.

❤️ After 11 years of facing every step as a challenge, Aldrin finally had the chance to discover what walking could feel like in a completely new way.

👉 Source: Tim Tebow Foundation — Aldrin’s story