Welcome to The Butterfly Foundation, a non-profit medical organization dedicated to improving the lives of children with complex spine deformity. Our volunteer US medical teams perform life-saving surgeries for children in developing countries while promoting the advancement of spine deformity treatment technology by training local surgeons. The surgeons use those new skills and supplies gifted to them by the foundation to continue treating patients in their own country fulfilling the foundation motto, "Teach a man to fish and he feeds his community for a lifetime."

The Butterfly Foundation has cared for over 200 patients through Spine Clinics in 5 countries worldwide since February 2003. For our patients, these surgeries are not just about being able to walk tall, but being able to live a full life.

Help Today by Donating Your Time, Skills, or Money

Medical professionals are encouraged to take part in Spine Clinics but with an average cost of $5,000 USD per patient donations are just as crucial to saving the lives of these children. Contact one of our directors to get involved or click on the donations link to find out more about helping our volunteers save lives and train medical staff in developing nations.

The Butterfly Foundation accepts donations online through Paypal. Donate right now by clicking here!

The Butterfly Foundation was incorporated February 3, 2003, through the dedication of television personality Geraldine Collado and spinal surgeon Dr. Andrew Moulton. They combined their resources to promote teaching diagnosis and treatment of complex spinal deformity.

The first mission from March 5 through the 9, 2003, was led by Dr.s Andrew Moulton, Baron Lonner, Thomas Errico, and Jeffrey Spivak from the Hospital for Joint Disease in New York.

These American doctors and their surgical teams worked with the surgeons of Gautier Hospital in Santo Domingo and guest surgeons from other Latin American countries to perform challenging corrections of scoliosis. The treatments were a great success.

In the evenings after surgeries, conferences sponsored by the Society for Orthopedic and Trauma Surgery were held for the orthopedic and neurological communities of the Dominican Republic. The presentations and professional exchanges covered etiology, diagnosis, prognosis, surgical techniques and recent advances in spinal deformity and traumatic spinal deformity and traumatic spinal injury treatment.

Medtronic/Sofamor/Danek was a vital supporter of the initiation of the Foundation. They generously volunteered state-of-the-art instrumentation and expertise, particularly with the assistance of Spinal Associates Sid Silverman, Seth Wax, and Robert Pearl. In addition, Paula Gisler was vital in laying the roots of the Foundation.

With tireless grace, Dr. William Jana (the Director of Health and Hospitals System for the Dominican Republic) paved the way through a complex political environment. Dr. Cruz Bournigal (Chairman of Orthopedic at Hospital Gautier) directed the care of the patients and integrated the US surgical team and his medical staff.

The mission served as the model for future missions that are now carried out at three-month intervals.