Historical Society Director Recovering From Stroke

By Jano Tantongco

jtantongco@longislandergroup.com 

Claudia Fortunato-Napolitano, executive director of the Huntington Historical Society, is pictured above.

The executive director of the Huntington Historical Society is in recovery at the St. Charles Rehabilitation in Port Jefferson after she suffered from a stroke earlier this month.

Claudia Fortunato-Napolitano’s speech and mobility on the right side of her body has been affected, but her sister Christina Caruso said she is on the road to recovery after leaving North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset on Monday to transfer to the rehabilitation center.

“Her spirits are high, and I think all the support that she’s had from friends and family are keeping her very positive. She was so excited just to get out of the hospital. She was there for 12 days,” Caruso said. “She is happy to just be in her own clothes and not be hooked up to IVs and the other monitors.”

Caruso added that the hospital was out-of-network, so the hospital stay, extensive testing and medical transfers have added up to become “exorbitant costs.”

Caruso said that Fortunato-Napolitano is making strides in her recovery, with her vocabulary and mobility gradually moving back toward their full capacity. She suffered from the stroke on Jan. 11.

“What she really wants to know is when she can get back to work,” Caruso said. “She’s so passionate about what she does, and she really wants just to get back to doing what she loves.”

A GoFundMe page (Gofundme.com/claudiasmedfund) has been established to help assist Fortunato-Napolitano in the costs of her medical bills. As of Wednesday’s deadline, $11,090 has been raised toward the $25,000 goal.

Caruso added, “She is just overwhelmed with everybody’s generosity. I think she just wants everybody to know that she is going to fight and work so hard to get better.”