THEY say cats have nine lives.

Retired electrical engineer Ray Lecomber is feeling just the same.

The Shelley man cheated death NINE times after heart attacks and has now heaped praise on the ambulance crew that fought to save his life.

Mr Lecomber had to be shocked back to life nine times by Welsh Ambulance Service emergency staff and doctors using a defibrillator, after he collapsed on holiday in Tenby, in Pembrokeshire.

He spent weeks in hospital but is now at home and recovered.

The 65-year-old had been in the garden of the cottage at Kilgetty when he went inside for a break and fell asleep in a chair.

His wife, Brenda, was unable to wake him and was concerned at the strange snoring noises he was making.

She called an ambulance crew and Tenby Ambulance Station paramedics Mark Rice and Nick Tebbutt answered Brenda’s call, along with second-year paramedic degree student Keri Morgan.

Nick, a paramedic for 19 years, said he had never dealt with a patient quite like Ray before.

He said: “Ray was sat in the chair unable to understand what all the fuss was about. He was a little pale but everything else was fine.

“We asked if he’d let Keri examine him, which he agreed to, and Keri undertook base line observations including a respiratory and circulatory assessments as well as checking his blood glucose and temperature.

“In fact everything was within normal limits for Ray’s age and after conducting an ECG test, which also proved normal, we decided this was a false alarm although Brenda had been right to call us.”

But Mark, a paramedic for eight years, says there was a sudden change.

He said: “We were talking to the family and getting a bit of health history from Brenda when Keri noticed an abnormal rhythm on the defib screen. She thought one of the leads had come adrift as it seemed so strange but they were all still attached.

“It soon developed into what is called Torsades de Pointes, which is a rare ventricular arrhythmia (abnormal muscle contractions in the heart) although Ray was still talking to us.

“The arrhythmia developed into unconsciousness and Ray arrested.

“We quickly gave him a precordial thump and Nick started CPR. Keri managed his airway and I attached the defib pads and shocked him.

“Ray came to and asked why he was on the floor. We told him he hadn’t been well and we were taking him to hospital.”

But on the way to Withybush Hospital Ray stopped talking and his breathing decreased.

He was again shocked back to life and, amazingly, carried on a conversation where he’d left it as if nothing had happened.

The same thing happened five more times before the ambulance arrived at the hospital.

And over the next 24 hours, doctors had to shock Ray twice more as his heart stopped again.

Nick said: “Both Mark and I felt really concerned as we have never known someone survive after being shocked so many times. We really did fear the worst for him”.

Mr Lecomber said: “I fell asleep in a chair which is highly unusual for me. Apparently Brenda couldn’t wake me and as I was apparently making some strange noises she called an ambulance. Thank God she did.

“It turned out I had narrowing of two of my main arteries and I was having real problems. Apparently they had to shock me nine times although I don’t remember anything about it.”

And Mr Lecomber, father of David, is keen to sing the praises of the ambulance crew and NHS staff who treated him.

He said: “I won’t have anything bad said about any of them. From the call handler who took Brenda’s call to paramedics who treated me at home and apparently shocked me back to life and the hospital staff at both hospitals where I was treated, they are all dedicated and marvellous professionals”.

Mrs Lecomber, who has been married to Ray for 43 years, said: “Without their expertise Ray never would have made it.

“All the NHS staff were marvellous from start to finish and I have nothing but praise and respect for the work that they do.”

Ray added: “It was a real shock in more ways than one to be honest. I suppose it’s all about lifestyle. I have never been a smoker despite the consultant asking me more than once if I did smoke. I do like my food and enjoy all the things you are perhaps warned about like real butter, cream and stuff like that.

“I have been given a second chance and believe me, I’m not about to waste it.”