He Gave the Skin Off His Back
For a man famous for taking from others, Charles Ponzi had a giving streak too. After being released from Atlantia Prison, he found work at a mining camp as a nurse. He was occupied with forming a scheme to sell stock in a water and power utility company that would supply such camps when another nurse got into an accident.
Pearl Gosid was severely burnt and needed skin grafts. Ponzi volunteered to donate his own skin and, over the course of two operations, he had 220 square inches removed from his legs and back. This kind gesture cost Ponzi his job and his health. He developed pleurisy from the operation and could no longer work at the mine due to the complications it caused.
