Miracle as Black Country dad has 27 heart attacks in 24 hours and SURVIVES

Ray Woodhall, of Wednesbury, was brought back from the dead by a dedicated team of medics after he collapsed whilst playing football in Kidderminster.

At one stage his family were called to his bedside and told he might not make it but the father-of three pulled through and is now recovering from his ordeal.

Ray, aged 54, who had tried to drive home after collapsing, was instead taken to Worcestershire Royal Hospital by ambulance.

He said: "The doctors there told me they've never heard of anyone 'dying' so many times. The only reason I'm here is because of them. The whole team was brilliant, I owe them everything. Now I just want to get back playing football again."

He suffered his first cardiac arrest whilst going in for a tackle playing for Dudley-based Hartshill Strollers in a 'walking football' tournament for the over-50s.

"I felt a slight chest pain but just thought I was dehydrated and carried on playing but the next minute, I was on the ground."

Paramedics were called on the insistence of a male nurse who had been watching the match and was concerned about Ray's condition.

Ray said: "He turned out to be a guardian angel because if it hadn't been for him I'd have tried to drive and probably wouldn't be here now.

"He kept saying I needed to be looked at. All I know is his first name was Brad. I'd really like to find him and shake his hand."

At the hospital he had two more heart attacks before being taken to theatre where medics inserted two stents into an artery to stabilise him.

Ray said: "I kept falling asleep and waking again and apologising for dropping off. The consultant said I'd not been sleeping - I'd had another heart attack. My electrolytes were going wild.

"He said one of the lucky things was having the stents put in within three hours of the first attack - he'd never done that so quickly before."

But later that evening Ray suffered a series of further heart attacks and his family - partner Jo Stokes, 50, sister Jayne, 49, and brother Robert, 51 - were called to his bedside and warned he might not survive. They were joined by his children Martin, 33, Gary, 30, and Samantha, 22.

Ray was brought back to theatre for a coronary angioplasty just before midnight but his family was warned he may be left with brain damage due due to a lack of oxygen because his heart had stopped so many times.

Further heart attacks followed - with the 27th and final one at 1pm the next day, almost exactly 24 hours after his first.

Ray said: "For me it's all a bit vague. I have flashbacks about minor things like the trolley crashing into the lift doors in the haste to get me down to theatre and then being sick on the operating table and apologising to the doctors.

"It's been a lot worse for my family, for Jo and my kids, who had to deal with it all the way through and thought they'd lost me."

Ray recalls coming round after his 27th cardiac arrest to find a nurse apologising to him.

"I asked why she was saying sorry and she said she'd been punching my chest for the last few minutes to resuscitate me. I said 'don't apologise, you saved my life'.

"Two nurses, Janet and Leilaini, spent most of the night resuscitating me. Janet said the most heart attacks she'd ever seen in one person was seven - and I'd had 27. No one will ever be able to play me in Top Trumps again - because my story out-trumps everyone."

But he said: "The real stars of the story are the medical team at the Worcestershire Royal who kept throwing everything they'd got at me to keep me alive. I can never thank them enough."

Ray, whose ordeal happened on December 17, is now back at home in Bagnall Wharf and making a steady recovery. His heart, which had fallen to 25 per cent capacity, is now up to 55 per cent functioning and improving very day.

He has returned to his desk job at drinks company A.G. Barrs where he is a team leader and is hoping soon to get the thumbs-up to play football again.

Ray, who had no history of cardiac problems, said he took up walking football after finding five-a-side with younger friends took too much out of him.

"I'm not a very good advert for it really," he laughs. "But there's another player whose had a triple heart bypass and we're both still here to tell the tale."