Alejandro Ixim looked like a typical teenager as he walked into the Longview Orthopedic Clinic on Wednesday afternoon.

True, the slender dark-haired boy used a cane, but the 18-year-old Guatemalan was walking almost unaided for the first time in his life.

Ixim surprised Dr. Jordan Stanley, the Longview orthopedic surgeon who corrected his club feet this summer, at Stanley’s office on Wednesday afternoon.

Ixim will be returning home shortly after Christmas. He is continuing to stay in Longview with sponsors from Refuge International in order to do physical therapy as his muscles learn to cope with his new found mobility, said Deborah Bell with the organization.

“He’s done really well, but he’s had three surgeries and a lot of physical therapy,” Bell said. “It’s been a lot to adjust to.”

Ixim was wearing cowboy boots. He said through an interpreter that they’re his favorite footwear.

“I’ve really enjoyed being in the United States, I like everything here and am thankful to Dr. Stanley. He’s a very good man,” Ixim said.

Ixim also said he’s anxious to return to Guatemala and begin a new life there. He’s not quite sure what he’ll do for a job, but said many options will be available to him now that he can walk normally.

Although most of his time in the U.S. has been spent either in the hospital or at physical therapy, Ixim has had a chance to attend a high school pep rally and eat out at restaurants. He has been in the United States since April.

“We’ll celebrate Christmas together, then he’ll be back home for New Year’s,” Bell said. “I’ll miss him, but I’m excited that he’ll be able to begin a whole new life once he returns to Guatemala.”

Although it’s not uncommon for infants in any country to be born with club feet, Stanley said, American children with the condition have it surgically corrected during early childhood. Ixim’s series of operations was the first time he’d performed the procedure on an adult.

“If he’s happy, I’m happy,” Stanley said. “It’s great to see him and know that he’s progressing so well. He’s the one doing the hard part.”

Stanley said he hopes to make a trip to Guatemala in February to perform surgeries with Refuge International. It will be his third trip for the organization.