A mother whose heart stopped beating has been reunited with the “heroes” who helped save her life.

Pezo Benjamin, 31, of South Park Drive, Ilford, husband Sam and 10-month-old baby Yanis went to Romford Ambulance Station to thank the crews who went to their home when Pezo suffered a heart attack in January.

Mr Benjamin said: “She looked like she was having a bad dream so I decided to wake her up.

“Her breathing just wasn’t normal. It was too shallow. Then she gave one final really long breath and her eyes rolled up. She looked dead.”

He said a 999 despatcher helped him to save his wife’s life. “The call-taker was amazing,” he said. “She made me move Pezo off the bed and told me how to do CPR. She then counted me through the chest compressions.”

‘Life-saving skills’

Emergency medical technician Ben Copsey said: “I remember Sam was performing good quality CPR.

“That basically saved Pezo’s life.”

Mrs Benjamin said: “All the consultants in the hospital said what your husband did kept you alive.

“It made me think, if my husband, who had no experience in first aid can do it, just think what you could do if you did have some life-saving skills.”

Ambulance crew Rachel Bolton, Jill Bull, Hayley Jones and Nicky Ladrowski, along with emergency medical technician John Reed arrived shortly after.

They gave Mrs Benjamin three shocks with a defibrillator, restarting her heart, then took her to King George Hospital, Barley Lane, Goodmayes.

She was later fitted with a pacemaker at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London.

Mr and Mrs Benjamin gave each member of staff a pen engraved with the word chindume, which means hero in Pezo’s father’s native Zambian dialect, to thank them.