It is not easy to Christmas shop with one of those “sticky-out things” on a big toe. Yes, I am one of the large numbers of American women with a bunion. It rests prominently on my right big toe.

It determines my choice of shoes. I read that 38 out of 1,000 females have a bunion; and that 55 out of 1,000 people who are 65 or older have developed a bunion along life’s journey.

I first noticed my bunion in the 1990s. Back then, I had to be so careful buying shoes. My strategy was to look for new shoes in the afternoon when my feet were a little swollen from shopping in a mall. Despite shoes feeling just fine when I took a few steps at stores, that was not the key to my comfort. It only took a couple of hours more wear before the bunion acted up, causing me to grimace in pain.

It took years, but I finally found a shoe brand that treats my bunion kindly. It happened in 2011 while I was visiting a friend in Tucson, Ariz. Up the street a few blocks from where she took care of a business matter, I chanced upon a shoe store, wandered in, and told the clerk I was looking for sandals.

He had what I needed, but I was a little taken aback when he quoted the price. It was a popular brand although I had never heard of it until then. As soon as I slipped the sandals on and realized the straps by-passed my annoying “sticky-out thing,” I was sold. I had never paid as much for sandals, but I gladly whipped out my credit card and made the purchase.

To my surprise after I returned home, I found a pair of shoes the same brand as my comfortable sandals in a local store. They were wide across the toes. But most important, after trying them out at home for a couple of hours, they felt good. They did not irritate my bunion. I was ecstatic and began shopping for more of the same brand. When none were available locally, I turned to the Internet. Previously, I would never have dared order shoes at that price by mail. When I found a nice selection at a shoe store website, I took a chance.

When my new shoes arrived, I slipped them on and held my breath—would they also treat my bunion well? Yes! I could wear them without pain. I was no longer a woman struggling with shoes that hurt my right foot.

I was so enamored with that pair of shoes I searched for and ordered the same style in two more colors. A year or so later, I found another pair I liked in that brand and ordered two more of that same style in different colors.

Now I never walk around with that “I’m trying to conceal my feet hurt” expression on my face—what a relief!