Oct. 15--It was a photo taken nearly 30 years ago around Christmastime. A young boy is dressed in green surgical scrubs wearing a mask and surgical hat with "MD" printed above his heart. The 5-year-old looks comfortable, confident and content, just as a surgeon would.
"Every kid wanted to dress like his dad," Eric Ferkel said.
From playing football at Studio City Harvard-Westlake to becoming an orthopedic surgeon, Ferkel, 35, has come full circle. Now there's two Dr. Ferkels making the rounds at playing fields around Southern California, trying to make sure athletes have top-notch care.
"The nurses and other office workers are adjusting," Richard said. "They didn't know what to call me or call him. Is it Dr. Ferkel Jr. and Sr., one and two, E or R?"
The elder Ferkel has spent more than 30 years as a team doctor for Encino Crespi, Harvard-Westlake, Westlake Village Oaks Christian and Valley College. He can be found on Friday nights standing on the sideline prepared to offer aid to football players injured or ailing. Now his son has joined him as a volunteer giving up his Friday nights to hang out with high school players.
"It's great," Eric said. "I'm part of the community and giving the kids a chance to live out their pure dreams and support them. It's really cool to come back to where I grew up. Being an athlete and being a doctor, I have the experience having been injured and having wanted to play college football and having all those dreams and aspirations. Understanding what that kid is going though is important and being able to relate to that."
Richard's friendship with former Crespi and Oaks Christian Coach Bill Redell led him to becoming a team doctor. Eric used to be a ball boy for Crespi when Redell was the coach. Richard has operated several times on Redell's knees.
"I made the mistake of letting him stay awake," Richard said. "He kept telling me what to do."
Said Redell jokingly: "I started talking to him, 'I think you got the wrong knee.' He told me to shut up or I'll put you to sleep.' Nobody is cutting on me anymore. I'm not going to let Eric practice on me. The only difference between him and the dad is the dad tries to call plays every once in a while."
Eric graduated from Harvard-Westlake in 1998, went to Washington University in St. Louis, Northwestern Medical School, then spent five years in a medical residency, followed by two years in a fellowship in Boston and Charlotte, N.C., working with college and pro athletes.
"It's a long road, and I didn't realize how long," he said. "When you're sitting there on Saturday night in the library, the tunnel seems very long and the light very dim. It's not for everybody. But at the end of the day, I get to do my favorite thing, which is taking care of people, especially in sports medicine, getting patients back in the field of life, on the golf course or getting to play with their grandkids."
What will be interesting is how the Drs. Ferkel learn to trust each other in the operating room.
"I'm trying to make sure I respect what he's saying as well as he respects what I'm saying," Richard said. "We have to find a way of working together and getting used to each other. So far, it's worked out well and I think we're going to have a great time together and help out a lot of patients."
As if having his son work in the same office wasn't enough of a thrill, Richard became a grandfather for the first time last month. Eric's wife, Rachel, had a baby girl, Lila. Then he became a grandfather for a second time. His daughter, Megan, an attorney, had a boy, Greyson.
"It's all starting anew," Eric said. "The circle of life continues."
It won't be long before he might want to start searching for those little surgical scrubs he once wore.
eric.sondheimer@latimes.com
