Living proof of the American dream

DR. SALVATORE J. FORCINA compares his life’s journey to a small seed blowing in the wind and finding landfall not on rich, fertile soil, but on a large porous rock where its roots take hold in an unwelcoming crevice.

“To the average observer, this plant’s chance of survival and growing strong may seem limited, but with the space available, given sunlight and rain, the plant will naturally do anything possible to adhere its roots firmly in the dirt and reach toward the sun,” Forcina writes in his autobiography, “The American Doctor,” which details his ascent from a childhood in war-torn Italy to a successful career as a medical doctor in the United States. “I was a seed looking for a place to plant my roots. I was at the mercy of the wind and weather, being blown about and in all different directions.”

Forcina’s is a tale of determination in the face of extreme adversity. He persevered in the name of love and devotion to his family, along with a desperate desire to make something of himself, against all odds.

Sitting in his daughter Vanessa Fuchs’ Ho-Ho-Kus home, where he and his wife, Roberta, spend most of the year living, Forcina, now 84, says he’s hopeful his story inspires readers—especially his granddaughter, Lennon. She is only 10 now, but he imagines that one day, his written words will bring her light on dark days and remind her of her roots and the virtue in never giving up.

FROM ITALY TO ARGENTINA

Forcina was born in the Lazio region of Italy in a small town called Scauri during World War II.

He describes his parents as loving and hopeful for his future, especially since their own dreams of success were limited, given dire circumstances and poverty.

“My parents only went to school through second or third grade—they had to work. They had to pitch in; life was different, which can be hard to understand for young kids in America,” Forcina says. “But my father read all his life, and he wanted me to become somebody. He knew his life was limited, but he wanted more for me.”

Forcina’s father would start his family on a better path by moving them from Italy, which Forcina describes as “completely destroyed” after the war, to Argentina, where food was abundant and the risk of war was remote.

Forcina was 8 at the time of the move and said as immigrants, the family was starting from the bottom and had very little. Not to mention, they didn’t speak Spanish. Things were hard.

“I remember playing in the dirt road, kicking an improvised ball that we had made with socks,” Forcina says. “My poor mother—she would ask, ‘Have you seen the postman?’ She was waiting for a rare letter from home. When she did get one, she would read it repeatedly.”

One day, as Forcina played with neighborhood friends, the group was approached by German missionary priests, who showed them a pamphlet that depicted a school where they would have the opportunity to play sports and games, swim in a river, and ride ponies.

Of course, Forcina told his father he wanted to go and because his father valued education, his parents found a way to send him. What followed were some very difficult years, some 300 kilometers from his family. Once a year he would return, for Christmas, to visit with them.

“My dream of having a good time was over in no time, because you had to study—pray and study,” Forcina says. “The separation from my parents was very difficult; the priests were very strict, very rigid, and I suffered physical and mental abuse. That was the discipline at the time. Youth is a beautiful thing, and I didn’t have that traditional childhood.”

Gradually, despite the horrors, Forcina says he began to find joy and curiosity in reading and studying. He would leave the school after seven years and move on to public school, where he had to repeat exams to move forward since his private education was not recognized by the state.

When his school years were eventually finished, Forcina’s father asked him what he wanted to do next. Surrounded by native children of doctors and lawyers who would go on to university, Forcina, the son of an immigrant, said he would like to do the same to become a doctor.

“I had always kept my ambitions to myself,” Forcina says. “If I had told somebody that I was going to be a doctor, they would’ve laughed. Everything was a joke. ‘Gringo,’ they would say.”

His father supported his son’s desire to at least try. Forcina would go on to attend university in La Plata. He says many of his classmates would take off for Buenos Aires on Friday afternoons to party for the weekend, returning at 1 or 2 a.m. on Monday morning.

“That was the time when I would use their books to study,” he says. “My parents couldn’t afford books, and though I did borrow them from the library, they were often in poor condition.”

Forcina says he wanted to have a good time like his peers, but he couldn’t afford to and wouldn’t squander his opportunity.

“I felt an enormous sense of responsibility to my family to not waste whatever resources I was given,” Forcina says. “My life was like being in a hole: I could see the light, and I wanted to get out. It was almost like a desperation that fueled me.”

After seven years, Forcina graduated with an M.D. But his struggles were far from over.

MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF

Following graduation, Forcina thought he would return to Italy to find his specialty. But while waiting to take the exam there, he became disillusioned and began to feel it wasn’t the place for him. He was convinced by a cousin that he should come to the United States.

“The only thing I knew about the United States was from a few pictures I’d seen of Hollywood,” he says. “There’s no exposure like there is today.”

But Forcina went for it. He arrived in the U.S. at age 28 and was welcomed by his cousins. It was a November day and they picked him up at John F. Kennedy International Airport. He recalls it was gray outside and garbage was piled high on the city streets. It turns out there was a garbageman strike.

“That was my welcome to the U.S.,” he says with a laugh.

Still, the country had its charms.

A classical music lover, Forcina was enthralled with the idea of taking records home from the library.

“To me, it was like I had died and gone to heaven,” he says. “It was a different world.”

Because his degree from Argentina was not recognized in the U.S., Forcina had to pass a long exam to apply for a residency. But first, he had to study to learn English, which he did via classes in Manhattan that his cousin helped him pay for.

The exam was extremely difficult, given the language barrier and the fact that Forcina had never seen a multiple-choice exam before. He flunked the first time but passed the second.

He was accepted as an intern at Misericordia Hospital (since renamed) and Fordham Hospital (now closed). He would go on to a grueling five-year long surgical residency at Cooper Medical Center in Camden, where due to “rampant” crime, he saw and helped operate on multiple gunshot and stab wounds daily.

“Although this was a sad commentary on human society and inner-city, poor neighborhoods, I acquired an amazing skillset as a surgeon,” Forcina writes in his book. “It was akin to operating on a battlefield, and I was very fortunate to have received such excellent training. My judgements and ability to make the correct decisions in extreme situations under pressure continued to be a huge asset for my future practice.”

It was during this time that a twist of fate would have Forcina introduced to his future bride, Roberta. He was asked to help place an IV in a patient after members of the IV team and residents had trouble doing so.

Forcina noticed the patient, who appeared pale, scared and black and blue from needle pricks, had an Italian name—Clement Petrillo—and they got to talking. He was a classical pianist and dean of the Philadelphia College of Performing Arts. He had overseen the rebuilding of the famous opera house, La Scala in Milan, after World War II and was a friend of famed Italian conductor, Arturo Toscanini.

Petrillo was put at ease by Forcina and the IV was placed without him even noticing. The doctor said he had “tremendous affinity” for his patient and would continue to check in on him during his stay, often noticing a “beautiful young lady” in the room—Petrillo’s daughter, Roberta.

After his release, Petrillo asked Forcina to accompany his daughter to a private concert. Though the pair’s daughter, Vanessa, says her mom was “not thrilled,” she quickly had a change of heart. The pair would go on to marry and buy a small house in Teaneck before welcoming Vanessa, whom Forcina calls his “treasure.”

The doctor began working at Holy Name Hospital in his new hometown and slowly but surely began to make a name for himself. One day, the Chief of Surgery needed help, and Forcina stepped up. From then on, he was constantly assisting the Chief and covering for him when he wasn’t there. His reputation and his practice grew for some 40 years, during which he was appointed Chief of Surgery at both Holy Name and Meadowlands Hospital.

Fuchs says she has “immense admiration and appreciation” for her father.

“I always saw how hard he worked and how much he cared about everything he did,” she says. “I saw the partnership and trust between my parents and their mutual sense of obligation to the family unit. To have consistent determination is not an easy thing, but then again, most meaningful things aren’t easy to achieve or obtain.”

Forcina says many people had told him through the years that he should write a book. But he never took the idea seriously until his life began to slow down after he retired 12 years ago.

“My life was like being on a train going 150 miles per hour. I’d look through the window and all the landscape was blurred,” he says. “Now that I’m retired, my train is 15 miles per hour. It’s a different world.”

Forcina had time to really reflect on his journey and all he’s endured and accomplished. He says he’s very proud and was so happy that his parents were able to visit him in the U.S. many times and see their son as an American doctor.

One day, he hopes Lennon will read his memoir and take heart with his closing words: “Never give up on yourself and your dreams. Fight for them, and don’t lose hope.”

BY SARAH NOLAN