A woman has thanked the paramedics who saved her life after she went into cardiac arrest.

Wendy Mayne began feeling unwell with chest pains on the evening of March 23 at her home in Wokingham.

Her husband, Dave, called 999, alerting emergency call handler, Emily Coggan, who worked with dispatcher, Conwae McCarthy, to send help immediately.

Paramedic Caitlyn Blackmore and emergency care assistant, Sam Raison, were the first to arrive and began assessing Mrs Mayne.

However, her condition rapidly deteriorated, and she went into cardiac arrest.

The pair were quickly joined by the Southern Medical Rescue ambulance crew, made up of paramedic Craig Sheppard, student paramedic Kieran Cross, and paramedic team leader, Kirsty Bayley.

The team carried out resuscitation and administered two shocks to Wendy before they were able to achieve return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), stabilising her before taking her to the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading.

Mrs Mayne spent 10 days in the intensive care unit, and another nine days in the hospital's cardiac care unit before being discharged to continue her recovery at home.

At the time of her visit to Reading Ambulance Station in September to thank the team, Mrs Mayne had just increased her hours back at work to almost pre-cardiac arrest levels, working 21 hours as an advanced nurse practitioner at a GP surgery in Woking.

Mrs Mayne said: "Both Dave and I really wanted to meet the team again, not just to say thank you for saving my life, but as a nurse myself I had some questions about what happened and the treatment I received, particularly as none of the tests I’ve had at hospital have been able to find a reason for what happened to me.

"It’s scary to think that one moment you’re enjoying a lovely holiday with your family and 48-hours later, with no warning, you’re fighting for your life.

"Today has really helped Dave and I come to terms with what happened and we do feel a sense of turning a corner.

"And if it wasn’t for the amazing people from SCAS and SMR helping us that night, along with the hospital team in Reading, we wouldn’t have so much more to look forward to in life."

The couple had just returned from a holiday in Tenerife when Mrs Mayne began experiencing chest pains.

The pair are now looking to the future as Mrs Mayne continues to increase her hours at work.