It can be tough to make the really hard decisions for your family and children, especially when you have a large audience of people who are waiting to criticize you on the internet, like any celebrity or reality show star.
That's what Maddie Brush is facing right now.
The TLC show follows the Brown family, who are polygamists. Maddie is one of the 18 children of the initial family, and has since married Caleb Brush and had two children of her own.
The couple share two children, Axel, who's three years old, and Evangalynn (nicknamed Evie), who just celebrated her first birthday.
Maddie has recently posted in defense of the decision to have her one-year-old daughter's foot amputated.
"Evie received some major gifts for her 1st birthday. Her surgeon laid the groundwork for her new foot and mobility it will bring, by way of a boyd amputation," Maddie wrote, adding, "She is home and recovering beautifully."
"'You cut her foot off?' 'If she was functional, why did you amputate?' 'Wait, where is her foot?' 'Was it really necessary to cut her foot off?'. These are all questions I have received since Evie's Surgery," she wrote on Instagram.
"I understand the questions and at first glance, I would ask the same thing. Evie's left Tibia bone, along with the bowing it had, was also about a 1/3 shorter than her right. When she's little it's not super noticeable unless closely looked at. As she grows though, we were looking at the possibility of a dramatic difference," Maddie explained.
"Some families and people opt for a lengthening surgery, but Miss Evie's difference was in the grey area of if that was even possible or not," Maddie wrote of their family's decision.
"This was not a light-hearted decision, we spent the better part of the last year educating ourselves, talking to doctors, prosthetists, other families, and other amputees as we came to the decision we did," Maddie wrote, adding that Evie would be receiving a prosthetic foot.
"You amputated because there was no way of saving the limb. I think that goes along with #limbdifference education," Maddie said, referencing the movement to educate people about those who have various forms of limb differences, including amputees.
"Due to this, I wanted to give a more in-depth explanation and answer all at once. I hope it will all bring awareness to a part of the #limbdifference world," Maddie finished her post.
"I don’t understand the questions at all. It is NONE of our business. She is your child & you made the very best decision for her & her life. End of discussion!" one commenter shared.
We think it's awesome that Maddie has taken the time to educate those who were confused by the decision, and we hope that Evie continues to recover in perfect health!
What do you think of Maddie's decision? Let us know in the comments!
