THE GREATEST GOOD
How a team of local medical professionals traverse the
globe to save children in need
54 MARKETPLACECONTRACOSTA.COM MARCH 2018
By Matt Larson
Here in the East Bay exists a team of medical
professionals who volunteer their time, money,
and expertise, by making annual trips to Jalandhar,
India to perform life-saving, transformational spine surgeries
for children and young adults suffering from severe scoliosis
(curvature of spine) deformities. All operations are performed
completely free of charge as these patients come from
impoverished families, with no financial capabilities to pay for
such a complex procedure.
The group that does this is called “Standing Straight”, which
is a a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization comprised of medical
volunteers in a number of different disciplines who are dedicated
to providing free spinal surgeries to the neediest children. Led
by Founder & CEO Dr. Ravi S. Bains they have successfully
operated on 33 children and young adults thus far, and at just 3
years in existence, they’re just getting started. 2017 was the first
year they were able to make not one but two needed missions
to Jalandhar, and their next one is already scheduled for March
2018.
Dr. Ravi S. Bains reviewing x-rays prior to surgery
“Their scoliosis are so severe that many of these children
drop out of school, drop out of the public eye, and become
housebound,” said Dr. Bains. “Our goal is to try to identify these
children and young adults and fix them, so that they can live a
normal, productive life, and become contributing members of
society.”
Dr. Bains works as Chief of the Regional Spine Surgery
Department at Kaiser in Oakland where he leads a team
orthopedic spine surgeons who specializes in both adult and
pediatric spine deformities. He has traveled the world changing
lives for the better in Central and South America, Africa, and,
of course, right next door in Oakland. There are a lot of small
groups doing similar kinds of work worldwide, but Dr. Bains
found a need to create a nonprofit that is specifically focused
on spine surgery for the Indian subcontinent. Patients travel
from miles —by hitchhiking, public transport, or any means
necessary—in hopes of receiving the services of the Standing
Straight Team.