Mexican Vacation Turns Life-or-Death for Bay Area Couple

When Chuck and Jan Benner flew to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary, the retired Sacramento Delta couple never dreamed they’d be dealing with a life-threatening emergency.

Near the end of their 10-day vacation, the Benners attended a fiesta under the stars, enjoying good food and music. But upon returning to their timeshare later that evening, Chuck suddenly began feeling very bad. “Something hit me like a ton of bricks,” Chuck says.

Jan called for help and Chuck was transported to a local Mexican clinic where the doctor determined Chuck had suffered a heart attack. Unfortunately, despite an angioplasty, it soon became clear Chuck wasn’t improving and Jan was warned Chuck probably only had a few days to live.

But Jan wasn’t willing to let her husband go without a fight. She sprang into action, making calls back home to Dr. Vipul Gupta, an interventional cardiologist and director of Cardiology Services for Sutter East Bay Medical Group in East Contra Costa County. She also arranged for an air ambulance flight to transport Chuck back to the Bay Area.

Dr. Gupta, who practices at Sutter Delta Medical Center in Antioch, Calif., had cared for Chuck for years and knew his best chance of survival was to be brought to Sutter Delta where he could receive state-of-the-art care for his failing heart.

When the small medevac plane landed at Buchanan Field Airport in Concord, a waiting ambulance rushed Chuck to Sutter Delta. There, the intensive care unit (ICU) care team stabilized Chuck’s blood pressure, which was critically low when he arrived. The next morning, Dr. Gupta and the cardiac catheterization laboratory (cath lab) team performed special diagnostic tests followed by an angioplasty to insert a stent and open Chuck’s blocked heart artery.

Advanced Care and Technology is Critical

Dr. Gupta says having timely access to a combination of expert care and advanced technology is critical, especially in the case of heart attacks. To ensure access close to where patients live and work in East Contra Costa County, Sutter Delta recently opened a second state-of-the-art cath lab.

“We know that treatment for heart attacks is most effective when it’s begun within 90 minutes of the onset of symptoms,” says Dr. Gupta. “At Sutter Delta, we are very proud that most of the time we are able to begin providing treatment to these patients in under 60 minutes. Those 30 minutes or so are crucial because every 10-minute delay in receiving care means a loss of heart muscle.”

“Sutter Delta is the only hospital with advanced heart services between Concord and Stockton –which is critical for Delta residents who are having a heart attack because the Highway 4 is often clogged with traffic, and it can take up to two hours to reach the next hospital,” says Dr. Gupta.

Expertise and Award-Winning Care on the Delta

Chuck Benner’s experience shows why having access to both expert care and advanced technology can be critical for survival for patients suffering cardiac events.

In 2024, the Sutter Delta cath lab team and its physicians performed more than 700 heart catheterizations and treated about 200 STEMI heart attacks. ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction, known as STEMI, is one of the most severe types of heart attacks causing a complete blockage of blood flow. STEMI heart attacks are often fatal without treatment.

Sutter Delta was recognized in 2024 with American Heart Association’s Mission Lifeline® – STEMI Receiving Center – GOLD PLUS recognition. And in 2023, Healthgrades awarded Sutter Delta Five Stars for Coronary Interventional Procedures, the Coronary Intervention Excellence Award, and Top 10% in the Nation for Coronary Interventional Procedures.

Three years after his heart attack, the Benners continue to enjoy their retirement. Chuck and Jan credit Dr. Gupta as well as the Sutter Delta and Sutter East Bay Medical Group care teams with saving Chuck’s life and ensuring he remains healthy.

“I feel great!” says Chuck. “We are so grateful for Sutter and for Dr. Gupta –he is like family to us now. I’ve got my life back and everything is coming up roses!”

Dr. Gupta says, “Guiding patients like Chuck Benner back to health is so satisfying. I have so much gratitude for the difference I am able to make in the lives of my patients.”