LOUISVILLE, KY (WDRB) -- A Russian-born Minnesota giant is turning to a Louisville shoemaker to help resolve his foot problems that have plagued him for years.
Igor Vovkovinskiy, a 7 foot 8 inch 520-pound man, wears a size 25 shoe. Or at least, that's what Alan Kleinman thinks he wears. Kleinman is the Louisville shoemaker who took plaster casts of Vovkovinskiy's feet before constructing a pair of shoes for him after meeting him earlier this month.
Vovkovinskiy has endured more than a dozen surgeries on his feet, according to Kleinman. He's had so many troubles with his feet, he sometimes can't walk and is virtually a hermit in his Rochester, Minnesota home. Igor moved there when he was a child to seek treatment at the Mayo Clinic for his giantism, according to Kleinman and published wire reports.
Igor has appeared on national talk shows and has been promised shoes from companies like Reebok. But apparently those shoes came with a hefty price tag -- between $12,000 to $15,000 -- according to a May article from the Associated Press.
After reaching him on Facebook, Alan Kleinman decided to construct a pair of shoes for him for free.
"I just thought I could help him so I made a mold of his feet in his living room," said Kleinman, who has been building custom made shoes for more than 40 years. "Those are pretty big feet."
When Kleinman first made contact with Vovkovinskiy through Facebook, Vovkovinskiy expressed skepticism. Apparently, promises from shoe companies of new shoes haven't arrived yet, Kleinman says.
Vovkovinskiy was out of town this week in Russia and could not be reached for comment. But he posted on his Facebook page that "my pain level is overwhelming my ability to function."
Kleinman is hoping to be able to deliver the shoes next week when Vovkovinsky returns from a trip to Russia.
Copyright 2012 WDRB News. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to part of this report.
