Kathleen Tortora was born December 11, 1955 in Amityville, NY and was raised (mostly) in Lindenhurst, NY. She married her beloved husband, Ralph, on June 20, 1981 and was a devoted mother to Kristina and Nicholas. Shortly after the birth of her second child, Kathleen was diagnosed with a hereditary form of Muscular Dystrophy that had affected the generation before her. I’ve got to be here for my k
ids.” You see, Kathleen’s mother, uncle and aunt had all passed away over the course of just a few years, all in their early to mid-40s and all due to complications caused by Muscular Dystrophy. She did not want that and focused on her well-being, not the disease (referring to it always as “my situation” or “my condition” and never by its proper name). Muscular Dystrophy was not going to stop her from living! Her determination helped her survive her relatives by over 20 years. After raising her children, Kathleen decided to become an entrepreneur in April of 2008. She was an excellent cook and, many times, she’d bring her homemade hummus to friends and family get-togethers and was constantly asked, “Where did you get this hummus? It’s delicious!” Hearing comments like that over and over again for years, she decided to launch her own company, Heavenly Hummus. By the end of 2008, Heavenly Hummus was sold in New York tri-state Whole Foods Markets and local health food stores. Throughout all this time, Kathleen was involved with the MDA; attending numerous events to help raise awareness and funds for research. She passed away from complications due to Muscular Dystrophy on July 31, 2020, just a few months shy of her 65th birthday. As part of her Memorial Service, donations were raised in lieu of flowers to help fund the research of Dr. Michio Hirano (the last in a series of wonderful doctors who helped Kathleen navigate her medical journey). This is where the mission for The Kathleen Tortora Charity Fund was born.
