Twin Rivers man embraces gift of life

After his body was shattered by a truck 27 years ago, Michael Schettini chose to volunteer.

By: David Pescatore
   MILLTOWN — Michael Schettini was a typical college student. He was attending Rutgers University, majoring in economics and paying his way by working for a local bakery.
   He would become anything but typical. While at work one day in 1976, a Ryder rental truck struck him, shattering both his face and his plans for the future.
   "I saw it coming," said the 48-year-old Twin Rivers resident.
   "I covered my face with my left arm. The truck pulverized my elbow, but that probably saved my brain," he said.
   Mr. Schettini would spend the next nine and a half months in the hospital, undergoing 32 operations to rebuild his disintegrated bones.
   "They didn’t expect me to make it. I was given the Last Rites four times in the first month that I was in intensive care."
   He said that he didn’t know the extent of the damage, since there were no mirrors in his room, but he could tell by the looks on the faces of his visitors that it was bad.
   So he lay in his bed. He could not talk due to the tracheotomy tube protruding from his neck. He did not yet even realize that his tongue had been severed and that he would have to learn a new way of speaking.
   But while he lay there, he was moved. He was moved by the kindness and compassion that he received from the volunteers in the hospital. He was so moved that Mr. Schettini would dedicate the rest of his life to volunteering.
   "The volunteers helped me, carried me through my operations," he said.
   But first, he went back to finish his degree in economics.
   He set out with his reconstructed face. His jaw was formerly pieces of his shoulder. A piece of rib now formed the bridge of his nose. A section of muscle from his arm was fashioned into a semi-functional tongue, but even today, it is difficult for him to eat solid food. He has never had enough of a jaw to even consider dentures or dental implants.
   Patches of skin from his arms and legs were grafted to rebuild what resembled an eyelid, but that does not work. Mr. Schettini wears a patch over the left eye to protect it, since he can not blink. Although he can see out of the eye, the lack of a tear duct causes it to dry and tire easily. He still has trouble with balance and depth perception as a result.
   Mr. Schettini went back to school working his classes around more surgeries and treatments. By 1978, he had graduated and was wondering what to do next.
   "The United Way recognized my degree and let me help them. I started in allocations, where I could use my economics and business skills."
   He began helping the United Way of Central Jersey determine what programs it should help. Mr. Schettini would take applications from nonprofit groups looking for funding and then audit the organizations to see if they were run efficiently.
   His physical problems caused some awkward situations, but he managed.
   "I drool," he said. "I also slur. Sometimes people think that I am drunk on the phone and hang up on me."
   Twenty-five years later, Mr. Schettini now chairs several of the committees under which he once worked and the United Way named him a 2003 Hometown Hero for his work with the organization.
   "In my heart, I have always been a volunteer. That was ingrained in me early on. That value system gives me the strength to do this and it gave me the endurance to survive a life-or-death situation."
   He lives off of a $3.5 million structured settlement from AT&T, the company that rented the truck that hit him. He is permanently disabled and unable to work for more than four hours without severe discomfort.
   Even still, Mr. Schettini said that he often pulls 40-hour weeks for United Way because he always does whatever is asked of him.
   "I don’t work, but I dedicate all of my time to this."
   He said that the most difficult task he ever had to do was deliver 68 aid packages to the families of those killed in the World Trade Center attack.
   "Many of them broke down and cried in my hands. There is a lot of self-satisfaction, though, in knowing that I helped those less fortunate than me," he said.
   Mr. Schettini has lived a full life outside of United Way as well. He married his college girlfriend shortly after graduation and raised three children. He even coached his daughter’s soccer team.
   He also speaks freely about his experiences.
   "One of the last things the counselor asked me before I left the hospital was how I was going to deal with my appearance. But, I can’t see it. You have to deal with me. God gave me a healthy mind, even if I look like the elephant man. Some are rude to me at first. Some stare. But here (at United Way), they respect me. They made me a hero."
   Mr. Schettini may not be able to see his face, but he can feel it constantly. He said that there are 80 muscles in the face and that every one of his is covered with scar tissue.
   "It hurts to smile," he said.
   Even still, he smiles a lot these days. He has 25 years down with United Way and figures that he has 25 more to give.
   "There are no more challenges. I just want to keep on going, keep on doing it, improve, learn, grow."
   Most of all, he said that he wants to relax a bit.
   "Stress will kill you," he said.