From growing up on a horse farm in Cincinnati with his two siblings and horse, Coco, to surfing and skating his way through his 20s in California, and from working in the kitchen for events such as Miss America pageants and John Deere conferences, to settling down with family and building a career, Grove City resident Tony Gerardi has lived many lives already.
Now, with a new, steady heart, he is reinvigorated to give back and spread his passion to others.
Realization and recovery
Ray LaVoie
Tony and his wife, Linda
In December of 2021, Tony and his wife, Linda, contracted COVID-19, later leading to Tony ending up at Mount Carmel.
Throughout that time, his illness did not improve, and while his stepdaughter Tiffany was visiting with Linda in January, Tony suffered a heart attack.
He was then transported to the OSU Wexner Medical Center. Once there, the doctors alerted them that Tony had a 100 percent and 50 percent blockage in his major arteries, and without a heart transplant, he would become a victim of a widowmaker – an often-fatal heart attack caused by a severe blockage in the heart’s largest artery.
Tony remained in the hospital for several months, receiving care for issues with his blood and more. His family prepared for the worst, and his grandson was even brought home from his deployment to South Korea to say his goodbyes.
But, throughout that time, Tony remained determined and kept on fighting.
On March 7, the cardiac team implanted an LVAD machine into Tony’s heart – a device used for end-stage heart failure patients to assist their hearts in pumping blood.
However, two days later, Linda received the call that they were going to take out the machine to prepare Tony for a heart transplant the following day.
“It was very, very stressful, but he was determined. That man has more strength in him and belief in the Lord than anybody that I know, and I do believe that is really what got him through,” Linda says.
On March 10, 2022, Tony became the 620th recipient of a heart at the OSU Wexner Medical Center, and that day marked the beginning of what Tony calls his second chance at life.
"I want to leave my footprint. I've had a second chance at life, and I want to grab life and do the best I can to the fullest, take care of my family (and) keep playing music." – Tony Gerardi
Led to service
Mount Carmel
Tony poses with his Because of YOU Award.
As soon as he started recovering from surgery, Tony felt called to volunteer at the hospital. He shared his idea with Linda, and she suggested that he look at volunteering close to home, which led him to Mount Carmel.
From his bed at OSU Dodd Rehabilitation Hospital, Tony filled out an online application and sent a text to the volunteer coordinator to tell her he wanted to start.
She kept in touch with him over his 12-week outpatient rehab, where he had to relearn how to walk with a walker, then a cane. By the end, he was walking out without assistance and ready to begin volunteering with Mount Carmel.
From then on, he has volunteered regularly, with Tuesday mornings becoming his usual shift.
“I don’t consider it a job. I consider it a privilege that I’m here and I can give back to my community,” Tony says.
Earlier this year, he was awarded a “Because of YOU” Volunteer Award during National Volunteer Month, where he was recognized for his above-and-beyond efforts to care for each patient, whether through his greetings, words of comfort or assistance with equipment such as wheelchairs for them.
“He has the compassion, and the empathy of knowing what it’s like to be a patient and he wants to help,” says Kim Sothard, a communications receptionist at Mount Carmel Grove City who works closely with Tony.
He has since contributed more than 500 volunteer hours as a Welcome Greeter, where he greets guests and helps navigate them around the hospital campus.
“When I see someone in a wheelchair, or I’m taking them up to the second floor (for cardiology), it brings back old memories. When I go up there, I’m like, ‘I’ve been here, I know what it’s like,’ so when I see these people, I can relate to them,” Tony says.
More than heartstrings
Ray LaVoie
As a Grove City resident of more than 25 years, Tony has been involved in various parts of the community.
He and Linda attend church services at Our Lady of Perpetual Help where Tony was previously a part of the choir there for eight years.
A lover of a wide variety of genres, from John Denver to Carole King to Led Zeppelin, Tony’s love for music started young with his mom playing music on the radio. Then, he started to play music himself, with his mom buying him a toy drum kit before his dad upgraded him to a full drum set. From then on, Tony was a part of different bands.
Around 2014, Linda found a guitar at a garage sale that she bought for Tony. After thinking that maybe his grandkids might want to play it, Tony decided to try learning it. Through the help of his neighbor and online tutorials, Tony started to play.
Now, Tony is a guitarist involved in two local bands – Pontones Gang, a band born out of Pontones Music, and The Village Pickers, who perform in Century Village – and also volunteers his time to perform at senior homes and retirement facilities.
“I just want to do it out of the kindness of my heart to make people smile. That’s why I’m here,” Tony says.
Jane Dimel is an assistant editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at jdimel@cityscenemediagroup.com.
