New Jersey businessman supports TGen's research into bipolar
disorder
PHOENIX, Ariz. - Aug. 2, 2010 - In memory of his son, a 59-year-old
New Jersey businessman plans this week to support bipolar disorder
research at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) by
swimming the English Channel.
International business executive Martino Caretto trains for this
week's attempted swim across the English Channel, an effort to
raise funds for TGen's bipolar disorder research in memory of his
son, Richard.
Martino Caretto, an Italian-born executive of an international
confectionary business, Ferrero, will relay swim the more than 20
miles from Dover, England, to Calais, France, as a fundraising
effort in memory of his son, Richard.
Richard Caretto, who is remembered as a generous person with a
sharp wit and sensitivity to social problems, was always an
outstanding student and athlete. At The Lawrenceville School, a
private high school near Princeton, N.J., he was a varsity runner
in cross country and track, a writer for The Lawrentian school
magazine, and a volunteer who worked with underprivileged children
and patients with dementia.
Richard Caretto
Richard was a 21-year-old college student with the smarts and
potential to do just about anything he wanted in life. But on April
30, 2009, Richard took his life, and was gone forever.
It was not the first time Richard had attempted suicide, nor was it
the first time his sometimes-bizarre actions were ascribed to a
mental condition that in many ways remains a mystery to science -
bipolar disorder.
Also known as manic-depressive illness, bipolar disorder is a
mental illness that causes severe shifts in mood, dramatic changes
in energy and activity levels, and an inability to carry out
day-to-day tasks.
Unlike the normal ups and downs that everyone goes through, the
radical symptoms of bipolar disorder can result in damaged
relationships, poor job or school performance, and suicide. It
often starts in late teens or early adult years. But is not easy to
detect, and some people suffer for years before they are properly
diagnosed and treated.
Since Richard's death, the Caretto family identified TGen's genetic
research into bipolar disorder as the nation's most promising, and
the one that they want to fund. While swimming the English Channel
for charity has been done before, this is believed to be the first
to specifically support bipolar disorder research.
Martino worked with the TGen Foundation to create a personal
fundraising web page,
www.tgenfoundation.org/netcommunity/martinocaretto, which allows
donors to contribute to specific research areas most important to
them. Martino's personal fundraising page for bipolar disorder
research, presented in both English and Italian, is the first
international fundraising effort led by an individual on behalf of
TGen.
Martino's attempted crossing will be supervised by an official of
the Channel Swimming Association, www.channelswimming.com.
"For open-water swimmers, the English Channel is like what Mount
Everest is to climbers,'' said Martino, who has always been an avid
swimmer and even competed in his youth in water polo.
In recent years, Martino swam the Hudson River, not far from his
family's U.S. home in Basking Ridge, N.J., and earlier this year he
swam with two friends in a 24-mile marathon charity relay race in
the warm waters off Tampa, Fla.
But swimming the more than 21 cold-water miles from Dover, England,
to Calais, France - even as a part of a one-hour-in, one-hour-out
relay with his Italian swimming buddy, Michele Drocco - will
present a greater challenge.
"The distance doesn't really concern me. It's the weather
conditions that I am concerned about. As the date comes closer, I
am less and less sure. But we will try," said Martino, who has set
no particular fund-raising goal, mostly contacting friends for
donations. "I don't want to put people under pressure. I want
people to feel that they have the opportunity to give, but not an
obligation."
After Richard passed away, his brother, Carlo, who will be a senior
this fall at Harvard, suggested that the family work with TGen
after conducting a nationwide search of research institutes.
The Caretto family's decision to help TGen was cemented by a 2009
New Year's Eve visit and tour of TGen headquarters, hosted by Dr.
David Craig, Associate Director of TGen's Neurogenomics Division.
This research division studies the genetic basis of brain
disorders, including Alzheimer's, autism, bipolar and others, to
find new and better ways to treat patients.
"They were very enthusiastic. The emotions were strong. They were
really positive,'' said Dr. Craig, who would like TGen's bipolar
disorder research to better enable clinicians to get beyond
trial-and-error efforts. Instead, understanding the genetic basis
of the disorder could provide more exacting diagnosis and
treatment. "If we get there, that would absolutely be a win."
Because Martino's father was manic-depressive and a cousin was
diagnosed with bipolar disorder, Martino believes there may be a
hereditary DNA link.
With Dr. Craig and others at TGen, Martino said he believed he
found scientists who are truly dedicated to improving patients'
lives.
"I am not a scientist. I don't profess to understand it all,"
Martino said. "But I had a very good impression from the people I
met. I saw them as very committed and genuinely interested in
improving the lives of other people. I really liked the people I
met."
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About TGen
The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is a Phoenix,
Arizona-based non-profit organization dedicated to conducting
groundbreaking research with life changing results. Research at
TGen is focused on helping patients with diseases such as cancer,
neurological disorders and diabetes. TGen is on the cutting edge of
translational research where investigators are able to unravel the
genetic components of common and complex diseases. Working with
collaborators in the scientific and medical communities, TGen
believes it can make a substantial contribution to the efficiency
and effectiveness of the translational process. TGen is affiliated
with the Van Andel Research Institute in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
For more information, visit: www.tgen.org.
Press Contact:
Steve Yozwiak
TGen Senior Science Writer
602-343-8704
[email protected]
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