About the Society
The Rebalance Legacy Society is a charitable organization based out of Victoria, BC, Canada, with both community and international focus.
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Our goal is partnership at both the community and international level. Collaboration is key in both making competitive sports safer for youth and bringing medical aid to those in need.
We Are Committed to Sustainable Education, Training, and Partnership
Children's Orthopaedics in Africa
Children's work is at the heart of the orthopaedic specialty. Did you know that the Latin derivation of “ortho” is “straight”, and “paed” is “child”, so “orthopaedics” means “straight children”. Our specialty developed during the polio era, treating children suffering significant orthopaedic musculoskeletal impairments.
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The situation in many low income countries, like Uganda, is similar to what it was in the developed world a century ago, with children suffering from physical impairments we no longer see in Canada. Poverty and lack of access to services results children suffering profound impairment and disability which surgical services can often prevent or alleviate.
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Many older children and young adults in Uganda still suffer the after effects of polio. Chronic bone infection (osteomyelitis) often destroys entire bones and growth centers. Congenital abnormalities, such as clubfoot, go untreated resulting in children walking on the top of their feet. Untreated burns results in contractures which stop joints from moving. There are almost no services available to children with cerebral palsy and other neurologic conditions.
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The Rebalance Legacy Society aims to continue to support education, research, and service provision to children in Uganda with orthopaedic impairments. Can you partner with us in this task?
OUR TEAM
Our team of diverse and highly trained experts are passionate about sharing their skills and expertise in order to make a difference in their communities and around the world.
Dr. Penny's History in Uganda
Dr. Norgrove Penny, a surgeon at RebalanceMD in Victoria, lived and worked in Uganda between 1996 and 2002 with his family. During this time he set up an orthopaedic rehabilitation program for children with orthopaedic disabilities.
His work focused particularly on children in the rural areas who otherwise would have had no access to orthopaedic and rehabilitative care. He established specialized surgical services for children at Mengo Hospital in Kampala, which then grew to the CoRSU rehabilitation hospital that now exists. He did a lot of training of young Ugandan surgeons.
Since returning to Canada he has continued annual visits to Uganda to continue training and program development, and has provided consultative services in many other low resource countries in Africa and Asia. He is a sought-after teacher and speaker on the issues of children's orthopaedic care in low resource countries.
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He knows the country well, and has many contacts in government, at the University and in the hospitals which allow the Rebalance Legacy Society to continue to work in partnership in the country.
Partnerships
+ Training
We believe in long-term sustainable practice, which is why we support established organizations by providing specialized education and training to help them serve their local communities better.