Girl with rare bone condition illustrates book on her struggles
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Irdina Aisyah
India Rose Eaton is only seven years old, but she has already endured five operations on her right leg to mend fractures that had developed spontaneously and were present at birth.
While her friends in school run, jump and dance, India, better known as Indy, can only watch from afar, as she suffers from a rare condition called congenital pseudarthrosis (CPT), which occurs in one out of 250,000 births.
This makes the tibia bone in her right leg prone to injury, and fractures are unable to heal by themselves, unlike in healthy bones.
Because of this, Indy has to wear a leg brace, known as an ankle foot orthosis (AFO), to support her right leg and protect it from injury.
Initially self-conscious about her condition and apprehensive about making new friends, Indy has come out of her shell with the help of a book on her struggles which she illustrated.
In September 2021, her final year in the pre-school, Ms Josephyne Ho, 52, senior principal of EtonHouse Pre-School, proposed a picture book to help her explain her condition to her new friends.
Ms Ho would write the story, while Indy, who loves to draw, would illustrate it.
Last November, the book, titled Indy's Diary, was released as an e-book. A month later, 100 physical copies of Indy's Diary were printed, with support from EtonHouse Community Fund, a charity affiliated with the pre-school.
"It felt good (to work on the book)," said Indy, now a Primary 1 pupil at CHIJ (Katong) Primary School. "It was exciting and I had fun because I could show others my drawings."
Although her bone has mended since an operation last year and she is now mobile, Indy has to wear her leg brace to school every day. Despite this, the bubbly girl is upbeat.
Writing the book gave Indy more confidence to explain her condition, said Indy's father, Mr Danny Eaton, 55, a manager at IT firm Cloudflare. "It drives away her apprehension."
- The book can be purchased on EtonHouse Community Fund's website for $19.90. Its proceeds will fund activities organised by the charity for vulnerable children and families.
