A MAN who tried to ignore chest pains for two hours before suffering a near-fatal heart attack has been reunited with his life-savers.

In May, paramedic Sian Carney and Mark Jones, an apprentice emergency medical technician, were sent to help a man in his 70s who was experiencing chest pains.

When they arrived, they found Derek Jenkinson, who have been suffering with chest pains and feeling faint for two hours before calling 999.

The pair carried out tests and decided Derek needed to be transferred to the hospital immediately.

But as they loaded Mr Jenkinson onto a stretcher, he suddenly became unresponsive and went into cardiac arrest.

The medics were able to resuscitate Mr Jenkinson using a defibrillator before starting CPR.

After one shock and two minutes of CPR, Derek was resuscitated and became alert and responsive again.

Derek was taken to Basildon University Hospital where he was successfully treated by their cardiothoracic team.

And the life-saving pair even visited their patient in hospital the next day, before they were reunited when Mr Jenkinson and his wife, Philippa Jenkinson-Dines, visited Basildon ambulance station.

Sian said: “We were both very happy to see Derek recovering so well and to know that we were the difference between life and death for him was overwhelming.”

Prior to this incident, Mr Jenkinson had been fit and healthy with no previous heart problems or medication prescribed to him.