A father who suffered a cardiac arrest on a train platform has been reunited with the team who helped save his life.

Dean Upton, from Maidstone, collapsed at Chatham station on Monday, April 11, last year.

His family visited South East Coast Ambulance Service’s (SECAmb) Make Ready Centre in Gillingham to thank some of those who responded.

After receiving help and CPR from bystanders, SECAmb’s Joint Response Unit with Kent Police attended and was quickly backed up by ambulance crews and a team from Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance Service.

The 53-year-old received advanced life support and two shocks with a defibrillator before his heart returned to a more normal rhythm.

After a “down time” of around 12 minutes, he was then taken to King’s College Hospital in London, where he was fitted with two stents and spent five weeks recovering.

He said: “I don’t remember anything about collapsing or my time in hospital but I am so grateful for everyone that helped me.

“I’m so happy to be able to spend more time with my family. I was glad to meet the team who were there and give my thanks.”

Dean has two sons, Noah and Logan, with his wife Rachel, as well as three adult daughters, Chloe, Mia and Summer.

Rachel added: “‘It was amazing to meet some of the team that attended to Dean.

“My family and I are so grateful to still have our husband, dad and grandad in our lives. Saying ‘thank you’ just doesn’t seem enough.

“The importance of early CPR is truly shown in Dean’s outcome. We are forever in their debt.”

‘My family and I are so grateful to still have our husband, dad and grandad in our lives...’

Attending paramedic and operational team leader, Alex Wilson said: "Meeting Dean, his wife and children was a huge privilege for all of us and it was fantastic to see Dean looking so well.

“When he suffered his cardiac arrest, it was incredibly important that bystanders started CPR prior to our arrival.

“Incidents like this show how invaluable early CPR and defibrillation is to patients’ survival. He is a perfect example of the chain of survival working in action.

“On behalf of the whole team I would like to thank Dean and his family for taking the time to come and meet us all again and share his unique perspective of the events that unfolded on that day."