HOST: JENNIFER (00:01):

Welcome to episode  #34 of the Going for Greatness Show. In honor of America's birthday, I thought having a conversation with an immigrant would be important. Salvatore Forcina and I spoke about what it was like to leave his homeland of Italy after the war and immigrate to Argentina, where his dad could find work. His father was a factory worker. At some point in his early twenties, Salvador Fora came to America with about $40 in his pocket, speaking zero English. He retired recently as a cardiothoracic surgeon. Dr. Forcina wrote a book called The American Doctor, and he wrote it for his granddaughter so that she would always remember how lucky she is to be bored in this country where while it's not perfect, it is the land of opportunity. It is a place where hard work and spark and grit and dreams can come true if you work hard if you're self-reliant if you set goals; Dr. Forcina shares some of the pitfalls that he encountered and speaks candidly about other immigrants who sacrificed and were not as lucky and as fortunate as he was. I hope you enjoy this conversation with Dr. Salvador Focina, and Happy Birthday, America.

GUEST: SALVATORE (01:40):

I was born during World War ii, 1941, and the area where I was born was between Roman Naples. The area was close to Monte Cassino. Monte Cassino was at the top of the mountain where the Germans were positioned, and they prevented the advance of the Allied troop. For more than six months, there were thousand and thousand casualty on both sides. The Germans had planted mines all over. My father was in the Italian Marine at that time, and uh, he lost his brother, and he lost his brother-in-law, and his father had disappeared. That area was really hell. There were no jobs. The misery, starvation, and the winter were terrible. My father was a worker, a regular worker. He has, like my mother, maybe second-grade school. But my father read all his life. He got a secure job in Argentina. At that time, the food was very cheap, and there was peace. There was no war. So that's why he went there for two years. And when he saw there was an opportunity for our family to grow in peace there and stability, he decided to bring my mother, me, and my brother. I was eight years old.

HOST: JENNIFER (03:05):

Do you speak Spanish, then?

GUEST: SALVATORE (03:07):

No, of course not. At that time. The sad part is that we were nobody in Italy, and Argentina was even worse. There was a prejudice, like anything else.

HOST: JENNIFER (03:18):

They were prejudiced against Italians.

GUEST: SALVATORE (03:21):

Well, I mean prejudiced against foreigners.

HOST: JENNIFER (03:23):

The foreigners.

GUEST: SALVATORE (03:24):

And who was the foreigner? We were the foreigner. Some like animal instinct. If you want to protect your territory, mark your territory.

HOST: JENNIFER (03:34):

Were you being educated at this point in Argentina?

GUEST: SALVATORE (03:38):

In Italy, I was in second grade, so I went to Argentina, and because I didn't speak Spanish, they put me in first grade. So I lost two years already there. I was very sad. 

HOST: JENNIFER (03:50):

Fast forward to the fact that you are an American citizen now and a retired surgeon, and you're someone who decided that your story was powerful and had a message. What is your message?

GUEST: SALVATORE (04:08):

Well, the message is don't give up. When I was in Argentina, I had to go to university, but my parents couldn't afford books for me.  Friends of mine were sharing the room with me. They were well off. They were the sons of doctors and lawyers. I was nobody. On Friday afternoon, they used to go to Buenos Aires to have a good time. That was the time for me to borrow their books and study.

Speaker 1 (04:38):

When the wealthy people left to go party, you would borrow their books?

GUEST: SALVATORE (04:44):

Yes, I used their books because I didn't have books. And the other alternative was for me to go to the library, but they were booked, and you could borrow the book for two, three days. But those books, they were like papyrus. They were pages; they were all stained and scratched. Against all the adversity I had to fight, and what motivation I had, I learned from my father because my father, from a very early age, used to tell me, Sal, you had to study. You have to study. And for him, the frustration was that I was eight years old and didn't want to study. Today is different because today you have computer communication and the Internet. At that time, we don't have a radio; we don't have tv, we don't have anything.

HOST: JENNIFER (05:37):

Your dad was not an educated man.

GUEST: SALVATORE (05:40):

But he had common sense.

HOST: JENNIFER (05:42):

Did your dad live to see you through medical school?

GUEST: SALVATORE (05:46):

Yes. When I came to this country, I got married. My mother and father came here for the first time, and of course, they were mesmerized by what America was about.  It was a different world and a different time. 

HOST: JENNIFER (05:59):

Do you think America has the same land of opportunity aspects to it in 2023 as when you came?

GUEST: SALVATORE (06:08):

I think it's up to the individual. I think the opportunity there, let's face it, nobody rolled out the red carpet for me when I came to this country. I came here; I was nobody. I didn't speak English. My degree was not recognized in this country, and I was 28 years old. So imagine you had to start all over again and train yourself. I was like a transplanted person in the middle of the desert.  

HOST: JENNIFER (06:34):

Everything was new, and you were starting all over again.

GUEST: SALVATORE (06:36):

And eventually, you had to pass a very difficult exam for a foreign or American graduate outside the United States. If you pass that exam, you are entitled not to practice but to apply and specialize in my case for surgery. I did that for five years of training, and Argentina already had done seven years of medical school plus all the great.

HOST: JENNIFER (07:04):

But you're saying it was not recognized in America, so you had to start again. Yes,

GUEST: SALVATORE (07:08):

Yes.

HOST: JENNIFER (07:09):

What do you think is so unusual about your story?

GUEST: SALVATORE (07:12):

My father told me that I had to be somebody and work hard. Move one step up, don't despair. I had many bad moments in my life. I was ready to quit thinking about my parents' sacrifice for me, and I couldn't abandon them.

HOST: JENNIFER (07:28):

You felt commitment to that, so I guess step on their shoulders and rise as best you could for their sacrifices.

GUEST: SALVATORE (07:38):

Yes. 

HOST: JENNIFER (07:39):

What advice do you give to new immigrants coming here? What would you tell them?

GUEST: SALVATORE (07:44):

I'm sure there are a lot of immigrants who come to America and take advantage of the opportunity to improve their life. I think the opportunity is there, but you must have the inner fire inside yourself. You had to have that spark. You cannot have everything done for you. You had to do it.

HOST: JENNIFER (08:04):

I love that. The inner fire.

GUEST: SALVATORE (08:06):

But you had to do what you sell. All generations in the past didn't have too much, but they worked very hard to improve the situation. The new generation today, in general, in general, they don't have the motivation. They expect everything. What will the government do for me? My parents will support me. A 40-year-old still living with their parents was inconceivable for me. 

HOST: JENNIFER (08:33):

Your trajectory from, you know, an immigrant who had no money, didn't speak English, came to this country. You retired as a surgeon and have written a book called The American Doctor. What made you write this book?

GUEST: SALVATORE (08:47):

My granddaughter was born. Start to look at the old pictures, the picture when she was younger, and you start to wonder what will happen to her when she's going to be a teenager. She's going to go to college, and you know, they are going to go through difficult moments. This book. I want her to inspire her to, perhaps one day, when she's in her teen years and she's having problems, we will make mistakes. But before she makes a mistake, it affects her life. Perhaps one night, she took this book, opened the page and read, and said, wow, my grandpa, look what he did. He came here without anything, had to work hard, and accomplished something. And I'm born here. I have my parents here; I have everything here. I'm in a better situation. I can separate the bad moment. That's my philosophy for this book.

Speaker 1 (09:53):

There's something about your grit; you called it your inner fire, which I think is the secret sauce that differentiates people who do amazing things. And Dr. Forcina, you have done some really impressive and amazing things, and thank you very much. I absolutely applaud your pluck and your drive. And I love that you wrote this book, the American Doctor, for your granddaughter.

GUEST: SALVATORE (10:20):

During my career, I became chief of surgery in two hospitals.

HOST: JENNIFER (10:25):

Amazing.

GUEST: SALVATORE (10:26):

In New Jersey, you had to have motivation, and you had to work hard. It will take time, but you have to have a goal. In my life, I didn't have a mentor. I didn't have a guide. I didn't have anybody on my side. I made many mistakes.  I was like a small boat, in the middle of the ocean and the middle of the wind; they'll go in any direction. And that was my life today. Somebody goes to a university they already have a guidance counselor, planning what they will study.  I didn't have anything. So that's why I think it's very important. My parents gave me courage, but they were not intellectual. They gave me love. What is love alone? It's like the gasoline for a car. If you have a Ferrari and you're in the middle of the desert, and you don't have gasoline, what good is you have a Ferrari?

HOST: JENNIFER (11:28):

I love it. Also, an Italian car. So a nice little homage to your homeland.

GUEST: SALVATORE (11:35):

I remember I was chief of surgery at Secaucus Medical Center in New Jersey, and I used to do a lot of surgery here. And one night, I was ready to do an emergency, and there was this lady from Cuba who was under 60 years old. And she was the early cleaning the uh, uh, the operating room floors. And I was talking with one of the head nurses, and I was made aware that in Cuba, this lady was a doctor and she was a pediatrician. But what happened was she came to this country and had to pass those exams that I had to pass. And no, it's not because I'm smart. Okay?  I was lucky I had to work. But I have family, and my uncle and aunt help me so I can concentrate 100% on my study only. This lady had to work and send back money to support her family in Cuba.   So when I found out about that, because she used to call me a doctor, I said, please don't do that. You know, I felt so sorry for her. And so she says,  doctor, I made the sacrifice to come to this country. I'm nobody, but I hope to bring my son here because he's my life.

HOST: JENNIFER (13:02):

Thank you so much for your time this morning, Dr. Focina.

GUEST: SALVATORE (13:05):

Thank you very much. I appreciate it. 

HOST: JENNIFER (13:06):

Thank you for listening to episode number 34 of the Going for Greatness show. There is no question that America remains a land of opportunity that is a beacon of light and hope, and many people from all over the world want to start their lives here, want to pursue their dreams here, and want to realize their potential here in America, in a land that is not perfect but remains to be the place to transform lives and dreams. Dr. Forcina's experience from his meager start to his retirement as a surgeon and the story that he shared of the doctor from Cuba, who was not able to realize her dreams fully and yet her desire to be in America, a place that could give even her son new opportunities was extremely inspiring. If there were value in this episode, I would truly appreciate you sharing this episode with a friend. I'm Jennifer Weissmann; I'll see you next time on the Going for Greatness Show.