Many people have a lucky number, one they identify with and that often will stick with them throughout their lives, from uniform numbers in sports to lottery numbers and other strings of digits.
For one Boulder Creek newborn, it’s a pretty safe bet to imagine his lucky number will someday involve the numeral 1 — or maybe 11.
At 11:11 a.m. Jan. 11, 2011, Boulder Creek resident Stacy Anne Townsend, 37, gave birth to her son, Grayson Terence Townsend, at Sutter Maternity and Surgery Center in Santa Cruz. That’s 11:11, 1-1-11.
He was the only baby born in Santa Cruz at that exact moment.
According to his mother, Grayson was originally due Jan. 18, but complications led to the need for an early Caesarean section. That’s when she decided it would be neat to have her child born on such a remarkable date and time.
Townsend’s obstetrician, Dr. Howard Salvay, was fully on board with her plan.
“(Salvay) got all excited about it,” Townsend said with a chuckle. “I think he was more excited about it than I was.”
Townsend said Salvay even timed another C-section so as not to miss the planned delivery time.
Townsend described the scene in the operating room as one abuzz with excitement.
“Everyone was talking over which clock would be the most accurate,” she said. “Finally, the anesthesiologist was like, ‘Just use a cell phone.’”
Save for a few seconds’ pause while waiting for the clock to change to 11:11, the birth of her first child went without a hitch, Townsend said.
Grayson, named in honor of his late maternal grandparents, represents his family’s sixth generation with roots in Santa Cruz County. Morrissey Boulevard in Santa Cruz is named for one of his ancestors.
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