A CYCLIST who collapsed while training for a charity bike ride has thanked the ambulance staff who saved his life.
Simon Willis, 49, visited Leatherhead Ambulance Station on Friday to meet the eight clinicians who helped him after he went into cardiac arrest on June 2 this year.
Mr Willis was halfway through a 50-mile training ride when he suffered chest and arm pains on Zig Zag Road, Box Hill.
He said: "I remember very little about the day itself and the last few months have been an extremely bizarre experience.
"I'm delighted I've had the opportunity to shake everyone's hands and say thank you for everything they did for me."
Two of the paramedics who responded to the call were Mike Wigley and Miranda Biggs, who are based at Leatherhead ambulance station.
Mr Wigley said: "Simon got off his bike and told his cycling partner Jeff to call an ambulance.
"A crew arrived and he was fine until he suddenly went into a seizure, which brought on the cardiac arrest.
"We arrived ten minutes later and a team of eight of us shocked his heart five times with a defibrillator, which got his heart going again."
He added: "Unfortunately, he had drunk an energy drink before all this which caused him to vomit, which he then swallowed back down into his lungs.
"When we got him back to St George's Hospital, in Tooting, the doctors gave him a five per cent chance of survival because of that, so he is a very lucky boy."
Mr Willis, who lives in Weybridge, spent three weeks at the hospital before being discharged.
He said: "Since my heart attack, I definitely intend to go on a course and learn how to save a life myself.
"Since the incident all my mates have had health checks and I'd encourage anyone to do the same.
"I've always been very fit and healthy and I'd had absolutely no indication that anything like this could happen."
Speaking after Friday's visit, Mr Wigley said: "It was great to see him again. It was a team effort and everyone can be proud of the part they played in bringing him back from the brink.
"He spoke about how he was going to be able to spend Christmas with his five children and wife, and that was a very powerful thing to hear."
