Dr. Sheila Nazarian’s Escape from Iran

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October 2, 2022

8 min read

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The famous Beverly Hills plastic surgeon was smuggled out of Iran as a child. An advocate for women’s empowerment, she firmly stands with the women of Iran yearning for freedom.

As a child Sheila Nazarian escaped from Iran. She was shot at by Iranian border guards as she was smuggled to the United States. Today she is an accomplished Beverly Hills plastic surgeon who starred on her own popular, Emmy-nominated Netflix series, Skin Decision. She has close to one million Instagram followers and advocates for women’s empowerment.

Dr. Sheila Nazarian was born in 1979, after the Iranian Revolution. Her mother, knowing things were not safe, flew to the U.S. a month before she was born so that her baby would be a U.S. citizen. She returned to Iran, where they lived a life of micro and macro-aggressions against women and Jewish people.

“Before the Revolution, Iran was very European and fashion-forward,” Dr. Nazarian explained in an exclusive Aish.com interview. “Civilians in Iran had freedom. Women wore mini-skirts. It was just like any other European country. After the Revolution, everything changed drastically. All women were forced to wear a hijab and all Jewish people had to hide their Judaism. No Jewish student was allowed to become valedictorian in high school.”

Dr. Nazarian shared, “If someone asked if we were Muslim, we said ‘yes.’ You couldn’t advertise your Judaism in any way. We never placed a mezuzah on our door and we never lit a menorah on Hanukkah. There are still many Jews there today who are outwardly Islamic, but in their basements practice Judaism.”

In post-Revolution Iran, people were beaten in schools and in the streets for being Jewish.

In post-Revolution Iran, people were beaten in schools and in the streets for being Jewish. When it would rain, Jews would be beaten up for making the streets “najess,” or filthy, because the rain hit them as it fell to the ground.

Time to Leave

A few factors caused Sheila’s parents to decide it was time to leave. Sheila was six years old when during the Iran-Iraq war, a bomb landed two blocks from their house. “As kids, we would wake up, go to the window, and watch the bombs. My parents told us they were fireworks.”

Her father was the Chief Medical Officer at the Shah’s Heart Hospital, and he was afraid every day. Her father saved the eyesight of a lab tech, diagnosing him with a parasite in his eye.

“The lab tech was working as one of the lay people that helped Khomeini come into power. He said, ‘You saved my life, I’m going to save your life. You’re on the list—you need to leave right away.’

“My dad left for Vienna, because a visiting professor had come and he received a letter to speak for a conference. He was able to go, but had to leave all our passports with the government. In the meantime, we were working with H.I.A.S. to implement a plan of escape. This organization still helps asylum seekers today.”

Harrowing Escape

Dr. Nazarian relayed the harrowing details of her dramatic escape. “It was imperative for my father and mother to leave separately because we would have been orphaned if we were all caught, and furthermore, it provided a good cover story. My father could have told the authorities, ‘Oh, my wife and I were having problems, she was trying to get away…’

“I didn’t know we were escaping. My mother told us nothing. One morning, we went to the bazaar and my mother told us to get into the back of a large vehicle, and we all hid under corn and burlap. We were in the fetal position on the bottom of this trunk with several other strangers. The car drove us to the border. Then, we got onto the back of a pick-up truck. We started making our way to Pakistan.”

The group of refugees spent one night sleeping in the desert.

“The lights were off of the pick-up truck, and we drove only at night so as not to be discovered. At one point we were seen, and they started shooting us. Once the truck was discovered, they put their lights on and drove at super-speed over a ravine. The border police thought that was too dangerous and didn’t pursue us further.

Only when we made it across the border did my mother tell me that we were going to America. As a six-year old, my first reaction was, ‘Oh my God! We’re going to meet Michael Jackson!

“We arrived in Pakistan by the skin of our teeth. Only when we made it across the border did my mother tell me that we were going to America. As a six-year old, my first reaction was, ‘Oh my God! We’re going to meet Michael Jackson!’

“We waited for papers, and finally made it to Vienna and reunited with my dad at a train station. We hadn’t seen him for almost four months. He had shaved his beard and I didn’t recognize him until he started speaking.”

The American Dream

The family spent a month in Vienna while waiting for permission to come to America. They were able to fly to New York together. They later relocated to Los Angeles where Dr. Nazarian has lived ever since.

“We moved to LA and stayed in a two-bedroom apartment with my mom’s sister until my father could study enough to pass the medical boards. I remember him going on his bicycle to the library to study every day.

“He knew English because at one point he worked as a concierge in Iran for an American hotel. Thankfully, he only needed to pass the board exam because he had actually done residency in America.

“As a medical student, he discovered a rare bacteria which causes pneumonia in malnourished children. The disease is called Pneumocystis Carinii, which is taught in textbooks today. That’s my father’s discovery. Because of that, he did his Pathology residency at the University of Pennsylvania. Thankfully, this aided in our transition to the US.”

As a child, Sheila spoke no English and was extremely thin. “My elbows were bigger than my arms, and I was brown, so I got made fun of a lot. I didn’t have many friends. I was super smart, and not shy to show it.” She craved acceptance but refused to change who she was just to get it.

“I wasn’t allowed to shave my legs or fix my mustache, so I didn’t have a lot of boys interested, which is fine. I remember one time, I went to CVS and bought Nair and started rubbing the chemicals everywhere. I didn’t know what I was doing, but I wanted all the hair off.

“I blossomed in college. There were so many more people to choose from, and I was able to find my crew.”

We left everything behind and started from scratch. That’s the story of many Persian Jewish people here today.

Dr. Nazarian explains that seeing the sacrifice of her parents, how hard they worked, and what they left behind has motivated her to work hard and sacrifice herself to become the success she is today.

“In Iran, we lived a comfortable life in a three-story, marble house. With marble floors and marble columns, in typical Persian style. We left everything behind and started from scratch. That’s the story of many Persian Jewish people here today.”

Dr. Nazarian’s mother has since died from breast cancer. Women in Iran were merely expected to raise the family, and she was therefore unable to pursue her own dreams.

“My mother wanted to be a math professor, and always felt it was a lost opportunity. I was given a second chance in life, so I decided I’m going to burn the candle on both ends and take advantage of this country. Here, in America, you can achieve success and you are not limited by religion or sex. I worked super hard for decades, and I guess I manifested success. I set my eyes on a target and ‘dream life’ that I wanted, and took tiny steps towards that every day.”

Protests in Iran

Dr. Nazarian has a unique insight into the latest protests in Iran, sparked by the murder of a 22-year-old woman named Mahsa Amini by the “modesty police.” Demonstrations have led to violent crackdowns and the killing of at least 40 people, with human rights organizations saying that number is much higher.

“The people of Iran have had it. The Revolution began under the guise of progressivism. They would say, ‘How can the Shah live in a castle, while there are homeless people on the streets?’ On paper, the Revolution looked promising. The people overthrew the Shah, and now look at what they are left with. They want the old Iran back.”

Dr. Nazarian believes that if anyone can incite regime change, it’s women.

Dr. Nazarian believes that if anyone can incite regime change, it’s women. She believes women have so much silent power, just waiting to be harnessed. “When women are done with something, they are done. They are not afraid, and won’t back down. When they want change, they get change. Whether within the family or workplace or in politics.

“As women, we are always looking into the future for our children. We are working hard and serve as role models to our children. Everything we produce is for the future of our families. Women in Iran don’t want this for their children. They want to see a different a future.”

You can follow Dr. Sheila Nazarian on Instagram @drsheilanazarian
Check out Sarah's interview with Sheila on the Aish podcast: Star Struck with Sarah Pachter.

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