John’s Visit to Uganda with Rehabilitation Worldwide

After 35 years of treating polio patients I thought I had seen most deformities until I came to Uganda. People walking on all fours, one guy using flip-flops on his hands for protection, the lower leg deformities that had never been treated, the lady with the plank of wood which she wrapped her polio leg around to stabilize her, which enabled her to walk. The lady who was pregnant who I make a KAFO for, she was so pleased with it she said if her child was a boy, she would call him John.

The people in Uganda are so very kind and cheerful and get on with their lives regardless of their deformities and they never really complain.

The team are all totally dedicated with one goal in mind, to treat as many polio patients as possible within the two weeks we are here.
Then, of course, we have the jokers of the team, Richard Bowns and Paul Harris. They have made us laugh non-stop and it really helps when the pressure is on in the clinic. The satisfaction I get when a patient comes into the clinic when they have had no intervention at all with severely deformed legs and then they walk out with big smiles on their faces. Finally the patient who went down on her knees to thank me for what I had done for her. It was just so humbling, will be back next year!

John Young

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