If “jack of all trades” had an image in the dictionary, it would be a portrait of Tony Codispoti. He is a devoted family man: he has eight children and 10 grandchildren. Retiring from his full-time dental practice after 36 years, Tony shifted to a career in the steel fabrication industry. He now leads three local businesses that specialize in steel fabrication and galvanizing.

Tony is wise, witty and personable. He prioritizes his physical fitness and spends most mornings in the gym at his local YMCA. The staff there affectionately joke that Tony is one of the only members who comes and goes in a full suit. Energized by his workout, he’s ready to jump into his role as president/CEO.

This is why it was a shock when a routine general exam before a hernia repair in 2018 revealed that Tony had fibrotic tissue on his lungs. This led to a diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a disease that causes scarring of the lungs. Tony showed no signs or symptoms of this condition, yet his lungs were comparable to those of a heavy smoker.

Tony spent the next few years managing his new health condition. In spring 2020, a routine CAT scan showed that while his pulmonary function was stable, he had severe coronary artery calcifications, again without any signs or symptoms of the coronary disease.

This led Tony to begin seeing Dr. Peter Kometiani at Aultman Deuble Heart & Vascular Hospital (ADHVH) Cardiovascular Consultants. At his first appointment, Dr. Kometiani ordered a stress test, which showed a blockage of two of his heart vessels. Tony was scheduled for a heart catheterization procedure with the intent of placing stents in the occluded arteries. However, due to the severity of the blockage, stent placement was not possible. Dr. Kometiani recommended bypass graft surgery, which led Tony to leave the community for surgery at a quaternary care facility. Because of the excellent care he received from Dr. Kometiani and his staff, Tony chose to continue his follow-ups close to home, at Aultman.

Flash forward to the present when Tony saw Dr. Kometiani because of severe exhaustion. Another stress test led to a heart catheterization, which originally showed that three of the four bypass grafts might not be functional. This was not good news, but after additional analysis and consultation with colleagues, Dr. Kometiani concluded that only one of Tony’s grafts was not functional. This interpretation was confirmed by another outside quaternary cardiac physician, and again, Tony chose to continue his care with Aultman.

In every appointment with Dr. Kometiani, Tony was amazed by the level of personal attention he received. Tony recalled the physician always asked him if he understood the process and if he had any questions about treatment; Dr. Kometiani never hesitated to explain the process as many times as needed. Tony appreciated Dr. Kometiani’s thorough care and even recalled a time the cardiologist went the extra mile to personally help him schedule a surgery appointment while they were still in the exam room. Tony found that excellent care extended to all the employees he encountered at Aultman, from the Cardiovascular Consultants medical office to Aultman Hospital nurses and aides who consistently checked to make sure he was comfortable when recovering from heart catheterizations.

Today, Tony continues regular visits to manage his cardiac and pulmonary conditions. He is grateful for the care that he’s received, which has helped him get back to his life as husband, father, grandfather and President/CEO. While he is hopeful for continued stability in his health, Tony is comforted knowing his cardiac treatment is in the exceptional hands of Dr. Kometiani and staff. And since Aultman is close to home, that means more early mornings breaking a sweat at the gym before suiting up to conquer the day.