Heart attack drummer thanks life-saving 999 crew

A session drummer who collapsed with a heart attack during a jam session has thanked the ambulance staff who saved his life.

Lee Verralls, 24, was playing at home with friends when his heart suddenly stopped beating. His friend rang an ambulance and performed CPR until it arrived. The crew used a defibrillator to start his heart again.

Mr Verralls's girlfriend Kym Burgess, 22, said: "Everything was normal when Lee just fell of his chair and stopped breathing. It was very frightening and we didn't know what had happened.

Our friend Jimmy called 999 for an ambulance." Lee, who had no history of heart problems, last week had a reunion with the staff who came to his aid last July after Ms Burgess wrote to thank them.

They included Juliet George, Daniel Crichton, Emily Grist and Dennis Brown.