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During his long career as a doctor, Emil Eyvazzadeh estimates that he has delivered about 10,000 babies.
An OB/GYN at San Ramon Regional Medical Center since it’s opening in 1990, Dr. Eyvazzadeh says he has been working in his profession for so long that he is now delivering babies for the babies he delivered more than 30 years ago.
The experience that has come through this long career is perhaps appreciated by none more than Eric and Maya Karleskind, an Alamo couple who had all 10 of their children delivered by Eyvazzadeh.
“Dr. Eyvazzadeh is a wonderful doctor. He is very calm, reassuring, attentive, serious and professional,” Maya Karleskind said of the longtime doctor. “We have always said that we wished he could be our pediatrician, general practitioner, dentist, ophthalmologist.”
“Most patients develop a special attachment to their OB/GYN because of the nature of our job,” Eyvazzadeh added. “For the Karleskind family, I am so lucky that I was able to be present for all 10 deliveries of their kids. When the time came, the family wanted to make sure I was available for each delivery. We definitely developed a special bond throughout the years. I was very lucky to be present for all 10 births.”
All 12 members of the Karleskind family were able to meet and reconnect with Eyvazzadeh at San Ramon Regional, when the group gathered for a special reunion event on Dec. 30.
The Karleskinds have 10 kids in total: first up is Eric Jr. who is 20 year old, followed by Etienne (19), Édouard (17), Maximilien (17), Christoph (16), Marie-Catherine (14), Claire (11), Gregoire (7-1/2) Clotilde (6) and last but not least 3-year-old Emile.
The family first went to Eyvazzadeh prior to the birth of eldest son Eric, at the recommendation of Maya’s sister-in-law Lisa. Eyvazzadeh has delivered six of Lisa’s children and had a good reputation with the family as a professional and helpful doctor.
Maya said they did not intentionally plan to have him deliver all 10 of their children, but that they always prayed that he would be on-call when the time came. And perhaps through a combination of luck and providence, Eyvazzadeh was never sick or away on other business when the time came to deliver.
“I was very young and my English was not very good. Eyvazzadeh was very patient. He took his time to explain things properly,” Maya said of her first time. “He always took the time to explain everything, even when I was asking things he already explained. He has always been very respectful of our choice to have many children.”
The Karleskinds’ have such a high opinion of the doctor, they even went so far as to name their 10th child Emile after Eyvazzadeh — Maya explained that they added an “e” at the end of his name because they preferred the French spelling.
“He said that the rule in the hospital was that if you did not pick the name of your child within an hour of the birth, he had to be named after the doctor. He was joking, of course, but we thought it would be a beautiful way to honor such a wonderful doctor,” Maya said.
Eyvazzadeh says it is this type of human connection that keeps him energized and passionate about helping bring life into the world.
“It’s amazing when I see my patients from years ago and they stop me and say, ‘My mom told me you delivered me 30 years ago.’ It’s always very touching,” Eyvazzadeh told the Weekly. “This profession is very special because you have that human bond with your patients, and truly become a part of their family. Doing this day in and day out, I get so much energy delivering babies. I see them cry. I see them laugh. I see them grow. It’s all about life and I treasure every moment.”