Former Longmeadow resident survives ‘being different,’ writes memoir

March 4, 2020 | Payton North
payton@thereminder.com

Former Longmeadow resident Katharine Houston–Voss recently penned her memoir, “Loving Every Awkward Step.”
Reminder Publishing submitted photo

LONGMEADOW – Being born with her feet both upside down and backward not only caused physical pain as she completed numerous surgeries, but also caused emotional anguish. Actor–turned–author and former Longmeadow resident Katharine Houston-Voss has taken her struggles and put pen to paper, and is about to release her book, “Loving Every Awkward Step,” a humorous memoir about clubfeet, life lessons and surviving being different.

The following is a question and answer interview that Reminder Publishing completed with Houston-Voss, where she discussed her childhood, the experiences she has had over the years of having a combination of bilateral clubfoot with metatarsus varus, as well as why she decided to publish a book based on her life.

Reminder Publishing (RP): Tell me about yourself – where you grew up, where you went to school, what you have done career–wise over the years, etc.

Houston-Voss: I grew up in Longmeadow, MA, during the 80s and early 90s.  We saw the rise of Brat Pack movies and the fall of the Berlin wall.  Being about two hours from Boston and three hours from New York, my family always traveled to NYC to visit my aunt who was an actress.  The acting bug got me early attending Springfield’s Drama Studio all through high school and I went to college at New York University’s TISCH School of the Arts.  After graduating with my BFA in acting, I performed in NYC for the next 20 years. While creating art is good for the heart, it is not great for the wallet. I stumbled into an amazing career working in the Development Department for one of the country’s leading environmental non-profits, Natural Resources Defense Council.  I have been with them now for 18 years and counting.  

RP: What was it like for you growing up with your feet upside down and backward? How did classmates/friends react? On a personal level, how did you handle this?

Houston-Voss: The technical description for my condition is a combination of bilateral Clubfoot with Metatarsus Varus.  Through casting and surgery, my feet were positioned correctly (facing forward), but the tops of my feet (the metatarsus bones) were curved into what I called, my bumps.  Growing up looking different was hard. My parents did an amazing job of making me feel like nothing was wrong. However, that didn’t give me the tools to discuss my feet when they did come up in conversation or teasing.  As we all know, kids can be cruel. I was subject to a lot of teasing. At a certain point, I was able to hide my feet wearing sneakers and lace up shoes. I thought people kind of forgot. However, I didn’t and my attitude reflected it. At a recent reunion, I had a very well meaning friend tell me that she understood why I was, let’s say, an angry female dog, in high school because of growing up with my messed up feet. So, people don’t forget. I learned early how to act like nothing was wrong. I didn’t show that I was in pain, from my feet and from the comments.

RP: Tell me about the struggles that you went through and your experiences over the years dealing with this.

Houston-Voss:  I started bilateral castings at birth and had my first surgery on both feet at 14 months old. My next surgery on both my feet was when I was six and then another only on my left foot when I was eleven.  A couple surgeries followed as an adult. In my early years, I just did what my parents told me to do. They would announce that I’d be having another surgery and that is what happened. When I was eleven, I went to a new doctor, Dr. Vincent J. Turco, who took the time to explain my feet, what the issue was, and what they were going to do during the surgery.  It was the first time a doctor included me and helped me understand. Kids are smart when it comes to their own bodies. They should be included in the conversation, if not the final decisions. As an elementary school kid, getting the attention from having a cast was fun. Though, not being able to run around made me feel different. In junior high, having the surgery only made me feel different and that was not a time period where being different was cool.  As an adult, the hardest part was not having my parents at the appointments with me. I couldn’t tune out. I had to listen, take notes, and be responsible for my life.

RP: Why did you decide to write this book? Was there a defining moment for you?

Houston-Voss:  My last surgery on my left foot was a “tune up” for the surgery I had four years prior when I was 29 years old. During that surgery, my foot had been fused with a bar and five screws. While performing, I broke three of the screws and my foot never fully healed.  As I was about to go into this next surgery to remove the hardware, I was panicking because I was remembering all the pain during my previous convalescence. I decided to journal during my next surgery’s healing time so I could have a document to reflect on if I ever thought about doing another surgery in the future.  I also wanted to give myself something to do since healing is boring. What started as a daily journal, turned into a reflection of all my past surgeries, funny family antidotes, and a touching tribute to my ending acting career.

RP: If someone was picking up your book for the first time, how would you describe it to them?

Houston-Voss:  “Loving Every Awkward Step” is a humorous memoir about clubfeet, life lessons, and surviving being different. It starts with me as a child who wanted to be a normal kid and ends with me as a mom who wants her own kid to know that it’s ok to be different.

RP: The book took you over 10 years to complete, was there a reason for that?

Houston-Voss:  Eight years after my final surgery, I found my first draft. At this point, I had been told by my doctor that there were no further surgeries to help me, I had gone through a difficult time conceiving my amazing son, we had moved from NYC to suburban NJ, and I was wearing ExoSym leg braces full time.  I realized my hidden disability was no longer hidden and what I had to go through to get a pain free life would be a great way to finish my journey and book.

RP: Now that the book is complete and about to be published, how do you feel?

Houston-Voss:  I have a mixture of feelings.  I’m excited to be done and have my feet out in the open. My goal was to finish the book.  To get it published was just a wish and a dream. Now that Bellastoria Press is publishing it, I have thoughts like, “perhaps the story of the blue bra didn’t need to be included.”  This is all really fun. I just have to keep reminding myself of that.

RP: Do you think you will continue to write in the future?

Houston-Voss:  I have a strange sense of humor that can’t be contained. I hope I keep writing. Some women I performed with in the past and I have thoughts of collaborations.  It could be writing for performance or writing for the page. I have to see where these next awkward steps take me.

“Loving Every Awkward Step” will be released online in print and eBook on March 15 and as an audiobook on April 15 from Bellastoria Press. Kindle Pre-orders are available on amazon.com now.

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