Doctors told a 24-year-old man he was lucky to be alive after a blade punctured his lung and narrowly missed his heart.

Jack Stone was stabbed in the chest during an attack in Station Chine, Herne Bay, at the end of March.

Struggling to breathe, he was rushed to a London hospital by the air ambulance in a serious but stable condition.

“I thought I was going to die,” he said.

“I had collapsed, was looking up at the sky and I could feel my body slowly shutting down.

"I was struggling to breathe and it was agony, but I didn’t lose consciousness at all.

“The wound was so deep, but blood wasn’t pouring out – it was leaking into my lungs and filling them up.

"At hospital they pumped four-and-a-half litres of blood out of my lungs.”

Neighbours tended to the young man after hearing his loved ones’ screams outside their homes.

Daphne Fearon, 82, saw him limp down the road before collapsing outside her house.

Jack spent four days in hospital, eventually being released on Tuesday, April 2.

“The doctors said I had soft tissue damage on my heart, where the knife had grazed it,” he said.

“They were telling me how lucky I was – they couldn’t believe it.

"They had other stabbings that week and the people weren’t so lucky.

“It was a clean slice into my lung and it had missed almost everything else.”

In the days after he arrived home, Jack says he was left feeling traumatised and vulnerable.

Three months on, he is still recovering from the injuries and says he no longer feels safe in Herne Bay.

“I’m still a bit tender in the area I was stabbed,” he said.

“My lung capacity isn’t the same – when I do a half-an-hour walk I get a stitch.”

A 51-year-old man and two boys, aged 16 and 17, were arrested in connection with the incident and remain under investigation.

A police spokesman said Jack is being kept updated, adding: “In order to ensure a thorough investigation, officers are following all lines of enquiry, including identifying and speaking to witnesses, and obtaining medical evidence.

"I thought I was going to die... I collapsed, was looking up at the sky and I could feel my body slowly shutting down" - Jack Stone

“Some aspects of an investigation can take time and the victim has been apprised of the process.

"Support has been offered for any concerns he may have.”

A police spokesman said: “The victim’s dog was seized following the assault and taken to a kennel after officers received a report that it attacked a person during the incident and that it was suspected to be a banned breed.

“This was reviewed and as no further action was needed, the dog was released back to its owner within two days.

“Police have since received a complaint from him regarding this incident and enquiries to establish further details from him remain ongoing.”

Officers are asking any witnesses who have not yet spoken to police to call 01843 222289, quoting 46/59522/19.

Read more: All the latest news from Herne Bay