“Precious gifts saved my dad.”

Tim Schramm holding a photo of his father, Ray, in military uniform

One family’s story of tragedy, skin donation and 26 years of borrowed time

Roy Schramm shouldn’t have survived. 

With burns over 60% of his body, doctors had told his wife, Jeanette, to gather his family — now. She plunked coins into a hospital pay phone to bring everyone together. 

Ford Motor Company’s River Rouge plant in Dearborn ca. 1973. Roy Schramm was working the midnight shift here in 1978 when he suffered critical burns.

Hours earlier, Roy was finishing his midnight shift in the Hot Strip Mill at Ford Motor Co.’s Rouge steel factory in Dearborn. That’s where steel slabs were heated, cut, rolled and cooled before they were crafted to make frames for Mustangs, Thunderbirds and other Ford models. 

It was the Sunday morning after Thanksgiving in 1978. 

“Mom and I — I was 13 — were getting ready for our 8 a.m. church service when the phone rang,” said Tim Schramm, the youngest of four. “Mom answered, her jaw dropped, and she said, ‘C’mon, we need to get downtown. Dad’s been hurt.’” 

A horrible accident 

Minutes earlier, Roy had tried to save a large, expensive magnet from sinking into a pit of water
used to cool the sub-molten steel. The heat melted the bottom of his work boots. 

As the 51-year-old stepped onto a platform, Roy slipped into the pit of near-boiling water. He was immersed except for his right arm and everything above his shoulders. 

“Dad pulled himself out using just one arm and stripped his boots and pants down to his boxers,” Tim said. “But the zipper of his jacket had melted, and he couldn’t get it off.” 

Roy somehow drove himself nine miles to Henry Ford Hospital. “He walked into the ER, told them he needed help and passed out,” Tim said. “Our lives changed forever.” 

Roy suffered burns over 60% of his body and, in places, was burned to the bone. He was transferred to the Burn Center at St. Joseph Hospital in Ann Arbor where Tim, his mother and three siblings were told he probably would not survive. 

“Dad’s heart stopped beating more than once, but he found a way to live,” Tim said. 

Healing with help 

His next battle was just beginning. 

Only skin grafts — lots of them over months — would save Roy’s life, and there wasn’t enough supply. 

“Skin donation wasn’t done much back then, so doctors proposed a new grafting technique,” Tim said. “In the lab, they punched diamond-shaped holes in donor skin to allow for greater elasticity and coverage. 

“Donors helped my dad one skin graft at a time,” Tim said. “We were on edge wondering, ‘Did it take? Is it healing?’ They did that over and over again, and my dad looked like he had the 10 of diamonds all over his arms and legs.” 

Roy and Jeanette Schramm enjoyed winter travel after he retired in 1985.Six months later, Roy walked out of the burn center with his family by his side. He eventually returned to work until he retired in 1985. He and Tim’s mom enjoyed life — including winter travel to warm destinations — before he died in 2005. 

He lived with gratitude for 26 years after his accident. 

“Because of that precious gift of skin, Dad was here to see my two brothers, my sister and I graduate from college, marry, and welcome eight grandchildren,” Tim said, his eyes welling. “I am so thankful my dad was able to watch me play college football, hold my sons, and see them grow into fine young men. 

“We wouldn’t have had all those moments with him without those precious gifts of skin. I am so thankful for those people — and those families,” Tim said. 

“It was truly the gift of life for my dad and my family.” 

Roy Schramm lived to see his son, Tim, graduate from high school, play college football and celebrate the births of Tim’s children. Tim and his three siblings are grateful for their father’s “precious gifts of skin.” 

Tim Schramm's high school senior photoTim Schramm with his father, Roy, at a Wayne State University football game Tim played in.Three generations of Schramm men

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read more in the LifeLINES newsletter

Read More Posts

Dior Chambers is waiting for that life-saving gift

Dior Chambers is no stranger to kidney disease. It has touched every corner of her…

Read More

Michigan Senate recognizes April as Donate Life Month, introduces new bills focused on organ, eye and tissue donation education

Today, the Michigan Senate adopted Sen. Kevin Daley’s (R-Lum) resolution to recognize April 2025 as…

Read More

“I’m so thankful I’m here and for the gift of life”

Brett Bowman, from Woodhaven, Mich., was born with cystic fibrosis. Growing up he was in…

Read More
GOL logo image for new office phones

CBS Evening News shows organ donation in action at Gift of Life Michigan

Gift of Life Michigan opened its doors to CBS Investigative Correspondent Tom Hanson last summer,…

Read More
Londel Cook is living life to the fullest after his kidney transplant.

“Where I was, was not who I was”

When Saginaw-area resident Londel Cook was diagnosed with end stage renal failure at a young…

Read More
Shalonda Griffin with her late husband, Greg Jones

Turning pain into purpose

Gift of Life Michigan Community Outreach Coordinator Shalonda Griffin’s late husband Greg was the ‘greatest…

Read More
Scroll to Top