Last year, Dr. Kamal Patel and his family finally pulled off their dream vacation. Spending a week in Paris and a week in London, they did the usual tourist things, which meant a lot of sightseeing. But for Dr. Patel, the most inspiring sight of all wasn’t the soaring metallic majesty of the Eiffel Tower. It wasn’t the timeless grandeur of Big Ben’s face looming over the Thames. It was the delight in the eyes of his children, 11-year-old Surina and 5-year-old Niam.
“My wife and I had been there, but to see them experience it for the first time was great,” he said. “You could see the joy in them taking it all in, seeing shows, going to museums, going on boats or trains … things that you know they’re going to remember the rest of their life. It’s refreshing. It fills my cup to know I’m able to give them those memories.”
Dr. Patel and his wife Bina have been married since 2004, and if their kids have been bit by the travel bug, they at least come by it honestly. The couple were avid adventurers pre-kids, and in fact, Kamal could have already been considered a world traveler at a young age. His parents had lived in Africa and India before settling in England where Kamal was born. They moved to Florida when Kamal was four in pursuit of a better life for their child.
“My parents instilled in me early on the importance of education. They taught me that education is worth the sacrifice of distance and tuition,” he said. “That’s been my focus. Education and having a lot of fun on the side. Life is a learning experience.”
The fun of fatherhood
Fun comes in all forms for the Patel family. Not every day entails a trip to Europe, but each day is filled with something. Niam has recently become obsessed with sports, checking in with Alexa each morning to get the late-night scores from games after his bedtime.
“That’s been very cool to have that sports buddy,” Kamal, who has ensured that his son shares in his life-long L.A. Lakers fandom. “I grew up a Lakers fan; he’s followed suit. He knows there’s a game tonight at 8:30.”
But Niam is no armchair athlete, getting out and shooting hoops or practicing soccer in the backyard with his dad. “Last night, he wanted to play goalie,” Kamal said. “He’s very competitive.”
Surina, meanwhile, shares her father’s love of the arts and creativity. A dedicated ballet dancer and actress, she’s been with Hilton Head School of Dance since age two. When she takes the stage for The Nutcracker or Terpsichore II, Dad is right there with flowers.
“Bina probably goes to more of her shows than Dad, but I still go to enough that I can probably do some of the moves myself,” Kamal said. “Surina loves to read as well. When she has some downtime, she probably goes through a book every few days, and that’s probably something she gets from her mom. She read a lot of books.”
Naturally, being the “fun dad,” Kamal has a wealth of dad jokes at his disposal.
“What has six wheels and flies? A garbage truck,” he said when asked for one of his favorites. “We’ve been listening to a lot of dad jokes lately.”
Dr. Kamal Patel is photographed with his son Niam and daughter Surina at Dolphin Head.
Finding balance
As a successful doctor, Kamal Patel knows that building a career can often mean sacrificing that quality time, putting in the hours that will secure a better future, often at the expense of the present. But as a caring father, he knows that sometimes he has to be a dad first.
“It’s a challenge as a dad to have that balance. It does take time and effort to give them the time they deserve,” he said. “I think it’s a learning process, and I wouldn’t say I’m perfect by any means, but it is something I’m conscious about and try to exercise on a regular basis.”
Switching from a traditional primary care practice to a concierge model in September of last year allowed him to have the best of both worlds. It not only allows him to give his patients more dedicated care, working one-on-one with them to protect their health, it has given him much more flexibility when it comes to spending time with his family.
“Right now, traditional care is overflowing with patient volume. Just to be able to complete the paperwork made for a much longer day,” he said. “Now I’m available whenever they need me, but my clinic time is a little more structured. Long-term, it’s led to a happier balance.”
And with the construction of Bluffton Center, where his new practice will be located, he’s wearing a new hat as a developer. If you ask his son, that’s the coolest hat his dad owns.
“What son doesn’t like construction equipment?” Kamal asked with a laugh. “Getting to experience that, bringing him to the site and letting him see everything … construction is probably far more interesting for a five-year-old than being a doctor.”
Passing it on
As passionate as Dr. Patel is about medicine, he knows that being a dad will ultimately be the most important job he will ever hold. It’s something he witnessed firsthand, seeing the sacrifices his own father made for him. And it’s something he’s passing on, even as—like every father—he’s figuring it out along the way.
“When you have your first child, most of it is just shooting from your hip,” he said. “It’s a gift to be a parent, experiencing the life you’re bringing into this world, encouraging them to be their own people and just enjoying the journey.”
Oh, and never forget that having a great mom at your side makes every dad shine.
“Our world revolves around kids because of their schedule and their needs, but we’ve found a way to not forget about each other, and that’s helped us be good parents.”
