A million readers, two shoe companies and Shaq: How teen finally got shoes for size 23 feet

GOODRICH, Mich. − Rebecca Kilburn felt guilt and a sense of shame as she watched her 14-year-old son playing football last year in shoes that were too small.

Eric Kilburn Jr. squeezed his feet into size 22 shoes − by far the largest on the field − but they still weren't big enough for the 6-foot-10 defensive tackle who would soon sprain his ankle, missing the rest of the season.

Less than a year later − after a mother's desperate search, the kindness of strangers and a series of whirlwind events − Eric finally has shoes that fit.

At the Martians’ first JV football scrimmage this season at Goodrich High School, about 15 miles southeast of Flint, Rebecca Kilburn sat watching her sure-footed son in cleats that weren’t painful.

Alone in the stands, in the pouring rain, she cried.

“Just seeing him perform to the best of his ability was a gift,” she said . “It was full circle emotion and just happiness to see him have the same advantages as other kids on the field do.”

A mother's desperation sparks an odyssey

It was a day Rebecca Kilburn was desperate to see. Finding shoes to accommodate Eric’s growing feet was increasingly challenging as he surpassed the largest sizes commonly produced by shoe manufacturers. In March, after a year of trying to find size 23 shoes for Eric that included direct pleas to shoe companies, she resigned herself to ordering Eric custom-made orthopedic shoes.

With specially made shoes costing $1,500 per pair, a friend, Kara Pattison, started an online fundraiser with a goal of $3,500 to assist Rebecca and Eric Kilburn Sr. in buying two pairs of shoes for their son.

Two days later, the Kilburns' dilemma went viral because of a story published by Hometown Life, part of the USA TODAY Network. Emails, texts and phone calls began pouring in. Amidst the suggestions on stores to try, instructions on how to cobble shoes and a basketball star to call (Shaquille O’Neal), there were offers of help from shoe manufacturers Under Armour and PUMA.

Custom-made kindness

Both companies sent representatives to Michigan to measure Eric’s feet so they could craft shoes for him that fit.

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 follows MHSAA guidelines and ensures Eric Jr. can maintain amateur athlete status.)

“I got my cleats before conditioning practice and it was an immediate difference,” Eric said. “It’s insane how much more traction I got. It’s mind-boggling.”