'How do you thank someone for saving your life?'

Patrick Mann said he felt grateful to have survived a cardiac arrest

"Daddy, why are you lying down like that?"

It was these words, uttered by a three-year-old boy, which caused Tash Mann to race down the stairs of her home in Southfields, south-west London, and immediately call 999.

Her 35-year-old husband, Patrick Mann, was having a cardiac arrest while playing with their son Oliver in front of the Christmas tree back in December 2022.

"I thought he was choking because I heard him gasping for breath," she said.

"I was on the phone and shouted when he stopped breathing – then immediately started performing CPR."

London Ambulance Service's (LAS) call handler Terri-Anne assisted Ms Mann in keeping up the CPR rhythm by counting beats in time with chest compressions.

Within minutes, paramedics - including Liz Keegan - got to the scene.

"Tash was doing fantastic CPR when we arrived," said Ms Keegan.

"In fact she was doing such a good job that we asked her to carry on for a bit while we got our equipment ready before we took over."

It took five shocks from a defibrillator to restart Patrick’s heart.

'Five second memory'

The crew took him to St George’s Hospital in Tooting where he stayed in a medically-induced coma for just over two days.

Ms Mann recalled that the first few days were "very touch and go".

"The doctors were doing all they could to help him, but we were still terrified of what could happen," she said.

"When he woke up, he moved his body and was able to talk, but he had a five second memory, like Dory from Finding Nemo. We had to keep telling him what had happened," she added.

In total, he spent 19 days in St George’s Coronary Care Unit back in December 2022 and was eventually released just in time for Christmas.

Mr Mann and his wife Tash thank paramedics Liz Keegan, Jason Anderson (left) and Matt Morgan (right)

Mr Mann had previously been diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, which causes the heart to beat abnormally fast for periods of time.

The condition is not usually serious, but in rare cases it can be life-threatening.

Two years later, Mr Mann is back at work and has not experienced any long term side effects.

Doctors say his heart is now functioning normally.

'Cheating death'

Meeting for the first time the paramedics who saved his life, Mr Mann, now aged 37, said: "Thank you so much for saving my life – as trite as that sounds.

"How do you thank someone for that?"

Speaking at Wimbledon Ambulance Station, he added: "It’s amazing to me that so many people came to my aid and everyone knew what to do – like a well-oiled machine.

"It’s crazy that you can save that many people – it shouldn’t be possible, you’re cheating death. But I’m so thankful and glad you did."

Ms Keegan said: "It is so wonderful to see Patrick and Tash again. I felt tearful when I met them because we do not necessarily get many happy outcomes in these situations.

"But Patrick was in his 30s and has two young children – I’m very honoured that I was part of keeping that family happy and whole."

Mr Mann and the paramedics that saved his life said the reunion was "emotional and tearful"

Samantha Palfreyman-Jones, head of first responders at LAS, said: "Knowing what to do when someone is in cardiac arrest and having the confidence to act quickly will save lives.

"More than 75% of cardiac arrests occur at home, and early CPR and defibrillation can more than double a person's chances of survival."

She added: "If you can learn these skills – like Tash – you could save the life of someone you love."