A mother-of-two from Aldington, whose heart stopped beating for more than 20 minutes, has thanked the paramedics and ambulance staff who saved her life.

On July 13, Kate Laurie had just sat down with her new boss on the second day of her new job in London when she began to feel unwell and collapsed on the floor.

Kate Laurie was reunited with the ambulance crew who saved her life

Her boss, Tim Mitchell immediately dialled 999 and spoke with a London Ambulance Service call handler who directed him through cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Luckily cycle paramedics were already outside on Buckingham Palace Road and were able to help as a number of resources were sent to Ms Laurie's side.

Medics took over chest compressions and attached a defibrillator to the 44-year-old, who was clinically dead at the time, in a battle to save her life.

After five shocks, her heart restarted and she was quickly taken to St Thomas’ Hospital where she was put into an induced coma for seven days to help stabilise her condition.

Ms Laurie then spent the next five weeks in hospital recovering, and after a number of tests, she was diagnosed with a very rare condition, cardiac sarcoidosis.

As a sporty person and hockey coach, this came as a huge surprise.

Ms Laurie said: “The whole experience has really made me reflect upon the life I lived before.

"I am so fortunate, all the wonderful people I have around me have been so utterly supportive throughout.

“I’ve always been a person to live every day like it could be my last, but this experience has really emphasised how precious life is and how only I can impact what I do with it.”

Eventually Ms Laurie was well enough to go back to her home near Ashford, and was reunited with her sons Reuben, 13, and Jasper, 14, who, apart from regular video calls, had not been able to see her.

She said: “Being together with them and my husband Tom again and being able to hug them tight was the most incredible feeling.

“I’m so grateful for everyone who made this possible, especially Tim. Those two minutes he was performing CPR before the medics arrived, made all the difference to my outcome.”

Recently Kate was able to meet the call handler and medics who saved her life to thank them for everything they did that day.

Her boss, Mr Mitchell, and her family also joined her at London Ambulance Service HQ for the reunion last month.

During the emotional visit she said: "The impact of me still being here with all my family is massive.

"You totally changed our lives and our opportunity to be a family. It's amazing, you're all very clever."

In a cardiac arrest, every second counts and without lifesaving intervention the chances of survival decrease by about 10% with every passing minute.

Now back at work and enjoying a few weekly sessions on the tennis court, Ms Laurie continues her recovery and is keen to raise awareness of the importance of learning lifesaving skills such as CPR.

She said: “I really would encourage everyone to learn CPR and to be brave enough to use those skills if needed.

“Tim, the call handler and medics did not only save my life, they have given me the opportunity to make so many more precious memories with my awesome family.

“You really could not give any one a better gift than that.”