Michael Van Every, left, with his mom JoAnn and dad George at their home in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023. Van Every suffered serious burns in a garage fire when he was a toddler, and is now raising funds for Valley Medical Center’s trauma unit, where he was treated in 1972. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
When people meet Michael Van Every, his boisterous, outgoing personality is hard to miss. But sooner or later, they’ll notice his facial scarring or the misshapen fingers on his right hand.
“Over the years, I’ve had a lot of questions posed to me,” said