Baldev Raj Bahl was a general surgeon who worked for much of his career in Nigeria. He was born in 1931 in the state of Punjab, India, the eldest of five children. He lived with his mother, Sushila, and her family for most of his childhood as his father, Ram Lal, was working in Uganda with the British Army. He was an incredibly organised and hard-working person, and attributed this to the upbringing he received from his grandfather. From a very young age he wanted to be a surgeon and undertook an incredible journey to achieve his dreams. He walked miles to borrow books from friends to supplement his education, and resolutely worked to gain admission to medical school in Calcutta and then Agra, India. Keen to pursue the FRCS, he travelled by ship from India to England, got a job in Darlington as a surgical assistant and worked while studying for his fellowship. He often recounted the challenges he faced living and working in a foreign country with very limited resources. He soon became very popular among his colleagues for his dedication to his work and for his self-taught culinary skills. Indian food was not widely available and he would travel to London to buy ingredients when he had some spare time and would create wonderful curries for his colleagues in the hospital kitchens. He passed his FRCS in 1960 and was then appointed as a surgical registrar in Taunton, Somerset, where he quickly developed an excellent reputation. His skills were noted by his consultants and he was soon offered training opportunities in Bristol, and was encouraged to apply for a position at Great Ormond Street Hospital for the then new specialty of paediatric surgery. Unfortunately, due to his father's ill health, he had to go back to India and it was while he was working in Delhi that he met his wife Manju, who was an anaesthetist at the same hospital. They married in 1963 and soon after applied for jobs in Nigeria, where at the time the Nigerian Government was seeking surgeons and anaesthetists to help with the Biafran War. They intended to work in Nigeria for a maximum of five years, but 20 years later not only were they still working for the Nigerian Government, but they had a thriving practice of their own. They were the official doctors for all the foreign high commissions, including the British High Commission, and for many international companies in Lagos. They soon gained a reputation for being the best team in West Africa. Baldev had countless stories of cases he had treated, numerous lives they had saved and the many patients they stabilised for transfer to their own countries for ongoing medical care. After retirement, they transferred their energies into charitable work in India. They were among the first to introduce the idea of intergenerational integration and helped develop this concept in a home for both the elderly and orphaned children in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India. They helped countless children with education as they believed this was the best way of improving lives and ultimately set up their own charitable institution in Almora, a town in the Himalayas with poor access to health care. They also invited their colleagues to set up medical camps there. Manju's death in June 2005 was devastating for Baldev, but he wanted to continue the charity work they had started together. However, in January 2006, while overseeing some construction work at the site, he had an accident causing fractures to his ribs and vertebrae. Despite the complications that followed he soldiered on, living independently in their home in Eastbourne and always helping family and friends in any way he could. He died on 1 February 2017. He was an inspiration to so many and will always be remembered for his excellent work ethic and determination. He lived by the saying 'We can achieve the impossible; miracles just take a little longer.' He is missed by many, but most of all by his children, Sandeep and Shailini, and their families.