Bertha Saladino, hospitalized last month with blood clots in her legs, is home.
By SCOTT PURKS, Times Staff Writer
Published April 11, 2006
TAMPA - Bertha Saladino, renowned for her thousands of free meals served during the 26-year-old Tony Saladino baseball tournament, was released from the hospital Thursday after a bout with blood clots in her legs. Speaking from her home Monday, she said she was,"a bit frustrated," but was "feeling much better."
"I am living pretty good but with a lot of caution," said Saladino, who is scheduled to take blood thinners the next six months. "I can't get cut or bruised or any of that because I'm taking the blood thinners."
Saladino said she plans to serve food at the upcoming presentation of the Saladino award, given each year to the county's top baseball player at the Saladinos home in Brandon.
"But this time I'm going to have it catered and I'm going to try and get some more help," she said. "It will be nice. I'll make sure of that."
By the time next year's Saladino Tournament rolls around, she said she plans to be "100 percent," which means cooking for countless hours and serving hundreds of meals in the trailer behind the University of Tampa's field.
In the middle of this year's tournament, on March23, Saladino started complaining about pain in her right leg. It just so happened the Saladinos' personal physician, Jose Berrios, had stopped by the tournament for a visit. Berrios took one look at Bertha's swollen leg and said she needed to go to the hospital.
Saladino, who said she fights pain all the time with osteoporosis, told Berrios she would have to wait until the tournament was over. But Berrios insisted and she went in the next morning for tests that confirmed the blood clots.
"The good news is that I checked out well for everything else," Saladino said. "And everybody has been so wonderful. Everybody has been telling me they've been praying for me and I've gotten flowers and haven't had to worry about cooking any meals because so many people have brought me food.
