The Tribune

By JADE RUSSELL


Tribune Staff Reporter


jrussell@tribunemedia.net

CORDEARO Moss endured pain with nearly every step for more than two decades, ridicule from classmates who called him “crab man” and “Mr Krabs”, and the stares of strangers that sometimes made him afraid to leave home.

The 38-year-old Grand Bahama resident believed his severely bowed legs would define the rest of his life. He skipped his prom and high school graduation, withdrew from social activities and struggled with ordinary experiences such as shopping and travelling, all while living with a condition doctors had failed to identify during his childhood.

Last month, Mr Moss saw his legs straightened after undergoing a total bilateral knee replacement at Health City Cayman Islands, giving him the prospect of walking, travelling and eventually playing with his future children without the limitations that had followed him since he was 13.

The operation cost about $100,000 and was performed overseas after Mr Moss said he was told the type of knee replacement he needed was unavailable in The Bahamas.

His transformation has since reached millions of people. A video posted to Cord & Bee Moss, the TikTok page he shares with his wife, Bianka Moss, had attracted more than 3.2 million views up to press time. The couple has more than 30,000 followers.

Mr Moss said he is still struggling to comprehend that the operation finally happened.

His problems began when he was about 13. He had previously lived a normal childhood, walking to school and playing basketball with friends, before waking one morning barely able to walk.

Sharp pain travelled through his legs, forcing him to hold on to walls to avoid falling.

His parents took him to a doctor, but X-rays showed no abnormalities and physicians could not identify the cause of the pain. He was prescribed painkillers.

Over the following months, Mr Moss watched his legs gradually curve outwards.

An orthopaedic specialist later prescribed braces that he was required to wear at night in an attempt to straighten his legs, but Mr Moss said the pain made them unbearable.

“I would wake up through the night and take them off,” he said. “So, the braces really never did nothing for me because it was too painful. My parents never really had the funds to do any surgery or anything like that, so that’s what happened until I was an adult.”

His condition also made school difficult.

Mr Moss said he endured relentless bullying at Eight Mile Rock High School and was called “crab man” and “Mr Krabs” because of the shape of his legs.

He said he eventually confronted one of his tormentors after becoming tired of the abuse.

“I actually walked from home with a block in my bag, walked inside the classroom, drop it on his head. It’s like people started to respect me after that.”

Although the bullying stopped, Mr Moss said the damage to his confidence continued. He avoided social activities with relatives and friends and did not attend his high school graduation or prom.

The condition also affected routine parts of adult life. He struggled to go grocery shopping, travel or appear in public because of the attention his legs attracted.

Mr Moss said there were days when he felt confident enough to go out and others when he preferred to remain at home.

“People tend to stare, people tend to talk,” he said. “You’d be looking at the person, they looking you in your face and they talking about you.”

Despite his physical and emotional struggles, Mr Moss built a career after leaving school.

He initially worked as an electrician assistant, which he described as a positive experience despite the pain caused by some tasks. He later worked with his stepfather in auto body repairs and now operates his own business repairing vehicles and importing cars from auctions.

His health journey changed significantly after he married his wife in 2016.

Mrs Moss was the first person to suspect that his condition involved more than ordinary bowed legs and began researching possible explanations.

“She was like, ‘this can’t just be normal bow legs, it has to be something else wrong,” Mr Moss said. “’It’s obviously something that can be fixed.’ So she started to do some research.”

In 2022, the couple visited a doctor in New Providence who diagnosed him with Blount’s disease.

Mr Moss said the diagnosis initially brought relief because it gave a name to the condition and renewed hope that it could be corrected.

“I felt like now we could find someone who could do the correction, and I could have a possible chance at doing normal daily activities again,” he said.

That optimism was soon tempered when he was told the required knee replacement was not available locally.

“That was kind of disappointing,” he said.

He and his wife then found Health City Cayman Islands, but the approximately $100,000 cost of the procedure left them searching for financial assistance.

Mr Moss said they wrote to several government ministries, organisations and Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville seeking help.

He said the Ministry of Health covered a portion of the surgery. The couple also launched a GoFundMe campaign, although most of the assistance came through personal donations.

“Especially coming like up until the days of the week before the surgery, people really started to send funds around that time,” he said. “I think they realised this actually gonna happen.”

Mr Moss said a weight-loss journey had already helped rebuild some of his confidence before surgery. Mrs Moss, a photographer and videographer, later encouraged him to document their life together and his medical journey online.

He said the response since the operation has been overwhelmingly supportive, with messages arriving from people around the world. Although some viewers claimed there was no difference in his legs, he said he ignores the doubters.

Now recovering, Mr Moss said he is looking forward to taking long walks, jumping, travelling with his wife and living without the restrictions that shaped much of his adolescence and adulthood. He also hopes one day to play and run with his future children.