Eric Kilburn Jr from Clarkston in Michigan, USA is only 14 years old, but his shoe size is already a number 23 in the USA, or probably a number 17 in the United Kingdom.
Most conversion charts, to determine what shoe size it will be in South Africa, usually only indicate US sizes up to a number 13. Even a chatbot couldn’t help. According to ChatGP, 23 is a huge shoe and the best explanation is to indicate that it is bigger than a basketball or a watermelon.
The former basketball player Shaquille O’Neal wears a number 22 shoe and one of his feet is about 36.8 cm long.
Eric, a high school student who is already 2.08 m tall, has been struggling for years to find shoes that fit him.
Eric’s family came across number 21 and 22 shoes at Nike last year and bought all seven pairs. For the first time in a long time he had shoes that finally fit properly and cool seemed They were excited that this would finally be the answer, but he quickly grew into the number 21 size shoe and eventually the number 22s.
Under Armour, a company that manufactures sports clothes and shoes, heard from Eric and offered to have shoes made especially for him.
Robb Cropp, senior director of shoe development at Under Armour, met the family on March 26 to make a 3D sketch of the teenager’s feet.
This mold will now be used to have shoes made especially for Eric. Eric will have to wait between six and eight weeks for the special shoes. Under Armor has also, especially for the football season, agreed to have a pair of spiked shoes made for him as well.
Rebecca Kilburn, Eric’s mother, said Under Armor changed her son’s life when they reached out to help.
“It feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders,” Rebecca said. She now hopes to start a non-profit organization that can help other families facing similar problems. She already has a Facebook page called “Big Shoe Network” begin.
The family also already has more than $23,000 on a GoFundMe page collected to start a fund for Eric so that he will be able to purchase more clothes and shoes in his size throughout his life.
- Eric Kilburn (Foto: Rebecca Kilburn/Facebook)
- Eric Kilburn (Foto: Rebecca Kilburn/Facebook)
- Robb Cropp meet Eric if you want (Photo: Rebecca Kilburn/Facebook)
- Robb Cropp meet Eric if you want (Photo: Rebecca Kilburn/Facebook)