Dr. Henry Woo of SBUMC Honored by Lombardi Family for Saving Patriarch
Family gathers community to thank Dr. Woo at Patchogue restaurant grand opening event
STONY BROOK, N.Y., July 7, 2009 – When Angela and Filomena Lombardi of Lombar
di restaurant fame noticed their father Filippo was losing dexterity and strength, and he reques
ted a nurse assistant to help him with his daily routine, they urged him to see a doctor, which he shrugged off, attributing his loss of mobility to old age. As his strength and dexterity con
tinued to deteriorate, they felt it was something much more serious, and decided to bring him to Stony Brook University Medical Center (SBUMC).
Verification that they made the right decision came after a diagnostic MRI and CT angiogram indicated Mr. Lombardi was experiencing strokes secondary to a severe narrowi
ng in his carotid artery. Dr. Henry Woo a cerebrovascular neurosurgeon was able to restore blood flow to his brain by placing a stent across the offending lesion.
“My father was very anxious because he had to remain awake during the operatio
n, and he doesn’t speak English,” remembers Filomena Lombardi. So, Dr. Woo allowed Filomena and Angela to remain by their father’s side during the entire operation to translate what was happening. “Dr. Woo is not only a phenomenal doctor,” said Filomena, “he’s also a phenomenal person. We knew the moment we met him that we were in capable hands.”
The experience inspired Filomena Lombardi to become a member of the newly formed SBUMC Development Council and to honor Dr. Woo during last month’s opening celebration of the family’s new Patchogue restaurant, Lombardi’s on the Bay.
Dr. Woo belongs to an elite group of only 41 surgeons nationwide who are trained 
in both traditional and noninvasive techniques. With his team at the SBUMC Cerebrovascular Center, Dr. Woo is pioneering groundbreaking research and treatments for strokes and aneurysms.
“I just can’t say enough or do enough for the Medical Center or Dr. Woo,” said Filomena, “and I want to be part of the exciting work that’s going on there.”
The Lombardi Family are the proprietors of Mamma Lombardi’s, Villa Lombardi’s, Lombardi’s Market and Lombardi’s on the Sound. The new location, Lombardi’s on the Bay, which is situated on the Great South Bay in Patchogue offers a full service restaurant and catering venue. And now, the Lombardi Family are advocates of the Stony Brook University Medical Center possessing “the best ideas in medicine.”
Stony Brook University Medical Center is the only academic medical center on Long Island. It comprises Stony Brook University School of Medicine and Stony Brook University Hospital, which is the only tertiary care hospital and Level 1 trauma center in Suffolk County. With 540 beds and 5,100 employees, it is the largest hospital in Suffolk County. The Heart Center performs the only open-heart surgery in Suffolk and the Cancer Center and Cerebrovascular Center attract patients from throughout the region with cutting edge diagnostic and treatment facilities. Stony Brook is home to Long Island’s first kidney transplantation program which has performed over 1,000 transplants, and initiated the nation’s first Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Center. The hospital is also the regional referral center for trauma, perinatal and neonatal intensive care, burns, bone marrow and stem cell transplantation, cystic fibrosis, pediatric/adult AIDS, and is the regional resource center for emergency management. Stony Brook’s Stroke program is certified by the Joint Commission and the NYS Department of Health; and, Stony Brook is home to the Cody Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities and Long Island’s first comprehensive ALS Center.
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Photo captions:
1) Filippo Lombardi and Dr. Henry Woo at the new Lombardi’s on the Bay. Dr. Woo was recognized for the successful treatment of Mr. Lombardi’s condition due to strokes secondary to a severe narrowing in his carotid artery.
2) Filomena Lombardi and John Lombardi celebrate
with their father, Filippo.
