A surprise that warmed Jim Keegan’s new heart

It wasn’t a heart-stopper, thankfully. But a genuine, jaw-dropping surprise greeted Jim Keegan on Thursday as the real-estate broker and community leader arrived back in Santa Rosa with a new ticker in his chest.

Keegan and his wife and driver, Diane, pulled onto their street off of Summerfield Road to see about 50 brightly decked-out family members, friends and neighbors standing at the curbs, holding balloons and waving “Welcome Home!” signs.

“I can’t believe it,” Diane Keegan exclaimed upon stopping the car to behold the scene that family friend Linda Sederholm organized, and to wipe her eyes.

In their driveway, her husband, who went into UC San Francisco Medical Center two months ago for a life-saving heart transplant, stepped from the car, smiled, shook his head and raised a hand to his chest.

“I’m going to have to get a new heart,” Jim Keegan said.

“Believe me, I feel blessed to be home.”

Taking in the happy scene, son Brian Keegan observed, “He’s better than I’ve seen him in a long time.

“I think he’s going to be counting the days before he can go fishing.”