State senator honored
for excellence

By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer

State Sen. Tina Tartaglione recalled being "angry at the world" after a 2003 boating accident left her with a partially crushed spine.
Tartaglione (D-2nd dist.) acknowledged being depressed as she lay in a hospital bed.
"My life changed in a split second," she said.
After extensive rehabilitation, Tartaglione was able to return to her full-time duties.
In the Senate, she has worked to raise the minimum wage, increase penalties for assaults on transit workers, prohibit mandatory overtime for nurses and find a dedicated funding source for SEPTA.
In addition, she has focused on assisting the disabled — a calling she better understood after her accident.
"God wanted me to be an advocate for physically challenged people," she said.
Following three surgeries at Temple University Hospital, Tartaglione continued her recovery at Magee Rehabilitation Hospital, at 16th and Race streets, in Center City.
The nurses and aides helped her physically and emotionally. Jerry Segal, a onetime quadriplegic who learned to walk again at Magee and became the hospital’s biggest benefactor, joined her in workouts.
"This place could have made me or broke me," Tartaglione said. "I had excellent care."
In June 2006, nearly three years after her accident, she used a walker to make it to her desk in the Senate chamber.
Today, she uses a wheelchair as she continues her rehabilitation. She often speaks about her experiences at Magee and helps the hospital secure funding from private and public sources.
In recognition of her efforts, Magee last week presented her with the Tuttleman Award for Excellence in Healthcare during a luncheon. She received a crystal bowl and flowers. The June 4 ceremony coincided with the Dr. Guy Fried Educational Seminar.
"There’s no one more deserving of the award than the senator," said Dr. Jack A. Carroll, CEO of Magee.
Tartaglione, 47, the daughter of City Commissioner Marge Tartaglione, was injured on Aug. 30, 2003, during a day of fishing on a 20-foot powerboat at the Jersey shore. When the boat hit the wake of another boat, she was thrown violently in the air. The injuries kept her out of the Senate for 10 months.
Since then, she has been re-elected and is planning to seek a fifth four-year term in 2010. She credits her staff with doing outstanding work.
In the Senate, she serves as minority party chairwoman of the Labor and Industry Committee and was finally successful in pushing through a raise in the minimum wage.
Politically, she deftly avoided choosing sides in April’s Democratic primary in the 1st Senatorial District, in which outgoing Sen. Vince Fumo successfully backed Larry Farnese over electricians union leader John Dougherty.
In the near future, she hopes to secure funding for various projects in her district through the budget process and pass legislation similar to the gun measures adopted by City Council that were ruled unconstitutional.
For the last 18 months, she has served on the Magee Board of Trustees. She has worked with, among others, Magee’s assistant vice president for development, Mark Chilutti.
Chilutti owned a Mayfair jewelry store that was robbed in 1996. During the crime, he was shot in the chest, paralyzing him from the waist down.
Thanks in large part to his rehabilitation at Magee, he has gone on to lead a productive life. He nearly beat state Rep. John Perzel in the 2000 election. Today, he lives in Somerton with his wife and is active with the local Boy Scouts.
Chilutti is at ease in his wheelchair and is impressed with Tartaglione’s ability to handle a demanding job.
"We both make living with a disability look easy," he said.
Before accepting the award at Magee, Tartaglione attended a therapy session at a Magee-affiliated office. She is part of a clinical trial sponsored by the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.
Three times a week, for an hour, she takes part in so-called "locomotive training." She is strapped to a harness and walks on a treadmill, with therapists on either side of her. She follows that up with 30 minutes of physical therapy.
"It’s exhausting, but I’ve got to do it," she said.
Tartaglione’s ultimate goal is to walk again without assistance. She believes it will happen.
"I am going to get out of this chair someday," she vowed. ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com