Painter Survives Near-Fatal Injury But Seeks Donors

While painting the ceiling of a sixth-floor apartment in Newport Beach this month, artist Franco Masci suddenly lost his balance.

He fell directly into a window, which shattered, thrusting a heavy chunk of glass deep into his right arm, which started to bleed profusely.

“I almost passed out when I saw my bloody arm,” said the 40-year-old Masci, whose works grace several restaurants, including Il Farro in Newport Beach and Baci in Huntington Beach.

But he also realized he could have fallen straight through the window and dropped six floors to the street below.

To staunch the gushing blood, he made a tourniquet by ripping a T-shirt with his mouth. He used his left arm to put pressure on his injured one.

With no free hands to call for help, Masci used his mouth to open the apartment door and made his way to the elevator, where he pushed the button with his tongue, hoping to find someone who could help him on a floor below.

“It was the longest two minutes of my life,” the Laguna Hills resident said.

Finally, on the fourth floor, he tracked down residents who called the paramedics.

Masci was rushed to Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach, where his arm, which was stripped to the bone, was reattached in a six-hour operation.

“It was one of the worst injuries I have seen,” said Dr. Nicholas Rose, the hand and upper extremity surgeon who reconnected Masci’s nerves and muscles. “He is lucky to be alive.”

After a week at the hospital, Masci is recovering from his injuries at home but needs money to pay his hospital bills. The hospital is helping to promote a fund to pay those costs.

Rose said the recovery will take up to a year, and that it is uncertain if Masci will ever fully recover to be able to paint and design again.

He might need a second surgery and will certainly have to go through extensive physical therapy, Rose said.

“It was my golden arm,” said Masci, whose arm was his livelihood. “I had everything invested in my arm.”

Masci’s paintings and sculptures can be seen at a dozen local Italian restaurants.

“The restaurants are the canvas of my artwork,” said Masci, who emigrated from Florence in 1982.

Masci launched his fund to raise money to support himself and his family because he has no long-term disability insurance.

Contributions to the Franco Masci Fund can be made care of Bank of America, 23711 Moulton Parkway, Laguna Hills, CA 92653.