Dr. Merkow, the office staff, and the entire surgery team at East Bay Brain and Spine are unpretentious and have been awesome in all regards. The level of care and compassion I received, from my initial diagnosis of a cavernous malformation in my right frontal lobe, through a successful craniotomy, and stereotactic microdissection, and now including my four-month post-surgery follow up appointment with Dr. Merkow has always exceeded my highest expectations.
There are multiple examples from my recent odyssey I could provide to illustrate the high level of professionalism, without sacrificing a comforting personal touch, that I experienced with the entire team at East Bay Brain and Spine.
One of the more memorable experiences occurred as Dr. Merkow was winding his way through my extensive list of questions at my pre-op meeting in his office. Dr. Merkow paused, leaned back in his chair and obviously thought carefully in answering my question as to what action he would recommend had I been a family member. It was extremely refreshing to witness the obvious high level of empathy Dr. Merkow exhibited during this exchange.
I was also impressed with the commitment to Community that Dr. Merkow expressed in our meeting that day. This was perhaps the most important point in helping me decide to have my surgery with Dr. Merkow at the John Muir Health Walnut Creek Campus. I had also considered having my surgery performed at UCSF where I had obtained a second opinion. After weighing all the pros and cons I chose Dr. Merkow and East Bay Brain and Spine.
Looking in the rear view mirror, there is nothing I would have done differently, especially my decision to choose Dr. Merkow and the East Bay Brain and Spine Team. My experience was positive and I was completely at ease through the entire process. My health and my life could not have been in any better hands.
If God were to present me a second challenge of equal or greater consequence, I can unequivocally say that I would once again have complete confidence and trust in Dr. Merkow and his outstanding team at East Bay Brain and Spine to resolve the challenge.
