This is a story about Jeff Hilliard's recent series of Cardiac Arrests in March of 2006. Jeff is one of the co-founders of Compudigital.

His Heart Beats On: A Story of Love and Survival

After 32 years, Jeff and Patti Hilliard still find romance in the little things. What often become chores for many husbands and wives, the Hilliards use to recapture the excitement that brought them together in the beginning. “Strolling down the grocery aisle or just being home alone offer so many ways to connect,” said Patti. “Marriage is romance.”

The starry-eyed students met in 1974 at California State University, Sacramento. They felt an immediate affinity and were married two years later. Through the years, Jeff and Patti raised two daughters, and launched Compudigital, a Web development company in Rocklin that helps sell overstock audio and video equipment. This year is one of celebration for the Hilliards. It marks their 30th wedding anniversary, the marriages of both daughters, the birth of their first grandchild and Jeff’s survival of cardiac arrest.

In the beginning of 2006, Jeff’s heartburn was becoming increasingly less tolerable. One March evening, Jeff hoped the pain would subside. He went to bed early, but just hours later his uncomfortable heartburn escalated to unbearable. Concern turned to urgency and he called for an ambulance.

In route to Sutter Roseville Medical Center from his Rocklin home, with Patti close behind, Jeff suffered two cardiac arrests. He was unconscious when rolled into the Emergency Room, where his third cardiac arrest occurred. A crew of physicians and nurses rushed to his bedside. A number of medical tests and interventions ensued and it was determined that Jeff was suffering from two blocked arteries. He was rushed to Sutter Roseville’s Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory where angioplasty and stenting were used to unblock his arteries.

With tears in her eyes, Patti recalls how faith helped guide her through each day and night. When she had to leave her husband in the Intensive Care Unit, she never said ‘goodbye’. She would simply say ‘goodnight’, praying that she would see him again. “While Jeff was hospitalized, there was little time to talk, but I needed him to understand what we had walked through with God and how I felt about almost losing my soul mate,” said Patti. So, she poured her heart into a 15-page letter to her husband that Jeff views as the ultimate love note.

“I am forever indebted to my wife for her love and support,” said Jeff. “I’m able to let her know that today because of all the skilled and incredible medical professionals at Sutter Roseville. I owe so much to them, but how do you thank the people who saved your life?”

Shortly after returning home, Jeff began participating in Sutter Roseville’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Program. He enjoys the supervised sessions of exercise and education that help him lead a healthy life, and takes advantage of the many health education seminars available to community members. Impressed with the program, Jeff and Patti offered to assist in its education efforts.

The Hilliards donated top-of-the-line presentation equipment, including a 50-inch LCD television, DVD player, wireless microphone and speakers. With the resources of their Open Window Productions company, which helps produce Christian concerts, the Hilliards are creating informational videos for Sutter Roseville’s Cardiac Rehabilitation program. The donations will facilitate more frequent and comprehensive heart health education at Sutter Roseville Medical Center. “Many think of donations as solely monetary,” said Jeff. “For us, there are many ways to give back, especially to such a deserving health care organization.”

For more information on Heart Disease, please contact the American Heart Association at www.heart.org