Basking Ridge resident and international business executive Martino Caretto speaks gently and with a soft Italian accent as he recounts the challenge he set for himself to honor his late son, Richard Caretto, who ended his own life at the age of 21.

On Aug. 10, Martino Caretto and his friend Michele Drocco became the first two-man Italian-American relay team to complete the harrowing swim across the English channel—a task they took on to raise awareness of and donations for genetics research into bipolar disorder. 

Richard Caretto had struggled with the disorder for several years before he took his own life on April 30, 2009. He was a brilliant student; he graduated from Lawrenceville School after obtaining a perfect score on his SATs, and went on to attend Duke University. The demons of the mental illness sent him home after his first semester at Duke; he then transferred to Stevens Institute of Technology to be be closer to home.

He was an athlete, a journalist and generous community service volunteer, working with underprivileged children and dementia patients.

"It is a difficult disease to diagnose and treat," Martino Caretto said of his son's condition. "The diagnosis is made clinically from observing patients and talking with them. Treatment is inexact. The medications take weeks to become effective, and after that, it is subjective to say whether the doses are in the correct amount. It's not like healing a broken arm."

In the U.S alone, bipolar disorder affects approximately 5.7 million adults. It is commonly referred to as manic-depressive disorder and often first appears in early adulthood. Characterized by severe mood shifts and dramatic changes in energy and activity levels, it often results in an inability to manage daily life.

Both Martino Caretto's father and cousin suffered from the disorder.

"My assumption is that there is a genetic component to the disorder," Martino Caretto said. "And, if there is, then through genetic research if we can manage to diagnose the illness, we will hopefully find a way to correct it."

Martino Caretto and his family have dedicated themselves to supporting bipolar research in the genetic field. It was Martino's wife—Richard's mother, Phyllis—who first suggested fundraising for the cause over coffee one morning. It was then Richard's younger brother Carlos,  now a senior at Harvard University, who researched alternatives and identified TGen, the Translational Genomics Research Institute, a non-profit biomedical research institute in Phoenix, AZ. 

For Martino Caretto, a lifelong swimmer often found doing laps at the Somerset Hills YMCA pool, swimming to raise awareness and dollars made sense.

He completed his first fundraiser earlier this year off the west coast of Florida. That swim raised funds for both the Somerset YMCA and TGen. A fellow swimmer at the YMCA suggested the challenge of the English Channel as a subsequent fundraiser.

Hypothermia, Seasickness and Jellyfish

"Cold," is the word Martino Caretto uses to best describe the half-day swim.

Martino Caretto and Drocco had been given a window of time spanning several days during which they would be told whether they could swim, pending weather and tide conditions. On at least three different occasions, they arrived and found their swim was to be postponed.

On the day before they were due to leave the UK, they received the go-ahead.

The air was a chilling 57 degrees, the water 62. Per the rules, swimmers are not allowed to wear wet suits or flippersùonly goggles, caps, swimsuits, nose clips and earplugs.

Preparing for the swim is no easy task. Participants must register with the Channel Swimming Association and petition both the UK and French governments for permission. They are required to hire a registered, commercially certified escort boat with a qualified pilot and crew. An association official rides in the boat as well. Phyllis Caretto accompanied her husband and Drocco, providing emotional support, blankets and food.

In addition to swimming an untold number of laps in pools, Martino Caretto and Drocco undertook several open water swims in the Mediterranean to train.

"In hindsight, we were not prepared for the cold, although we were adequately prepared for the distance and prepared to swim even longer," Martino Caretto  said.

He and Drocco alternated hour long laps in the water, with rides in the boat where they wrapped up in thermal clothes, rested and took nourishment. 

They both wore dramamine patches to ward off the motion sickness of being at sea, but Drocco still experienced seasickness and Martino Caretto felt the numbing effects of hypothermia.

Meanwhile, as Martino Caretto described it, "We saw wonderful, enormous jellyfish around us in the sea, which was rich in plankton that reflected in the water when the sun hit it, creating a beautiful kaleidoscope of colors." 

After three hours of swimming, when they were about half way to the shores of Calais, Martino Caretto felt a boost of confidence. He knew right then that he could take another three hours in the water. As the pair neared the shore, Drocco was swimming the final leg of the relay.

The official allowed Martino Caretto back in the water to follow and complete the last few yards, stepping triumphantly onto the shore, "shivering from the cold and exhausted from the effort, but moved, proud and happy we made it."

The pair finished in slightly more than 12 hours, "which is really very good," Martino Caretto said. Channel swimmers have been know to complete the 21-mile stretch (28.14 miles effectively) from Dover to Calais in anywhere from seven to 28 hours.

The response from family, friends, work associates and others worldwide has been overwhelmingly positive. So far, the channel swim has raised close to $30,000. and individuals can still contribute. 

The journey for the Caretto family, however, is far from done.  Martino Caretto expects he will do something else, most likely in connection with swimming.

It was not an easy decision to share his family's tragic story openly, but he does not want his son's life or death to be in vain.

"I am just a swimmer, giving them money," Martino Caretto said.

He shares his story in a letter to his late son, included here as a PDF.

Those interested in making contributions can contact Martino at: Martino.CARETTO@ferrero.com or make donations directly to TGen.