SHORTLY before paramedic Matt Hillis collapsed, he was able to tell his wife Anna he thought he had suffered a potentially deadly blood clot.

The diagnosis was correct, and the information proved vital in saving Mr Hillis’s life because fellow paramedics were able to provide the correct treatment for a pulmonary embolism, before rushing him to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

After collapsing on September 13, 1999, Mr Hillis suffered seven cardiac arrests before undergoing open heart surgery.

Now, 10 years on, the 38-year-old, from Marcham, near Abingdon, has two special reasons to celebrate.

After he recovered from the operation, he discovered that the trauma had affected his fertility. But following three courses of IVF, costing a total of £12,000, daughter Isla was born 18 months ago.

Now Mrs Hillis, 36, who works as a nurse, is expecting their second child in January.

Mr Hillis said he and his family would be celebrating with a special party tomorrow, a decade on from suffering the blood clot that almost claimed his life.

He said: “We have got so many reasons to celebrate — we were ecstatic beyond belief when we first saw Isla’s heartbeat on the ultrasound.

“I always take a day off on the anniversary of the operation – I know that life is for living and I never complain about the weather.

“Earlier this year, we found out that our second child has been conceived without the aid of IVF which is an astounding bit of good news.

“We were about to sign up for another course of IVF and now we won’t have to.”

Mr Hillis recalled how he had experienced pain in his calf a few days before he collapsed, and suspected he had a blood clot.

He remembered: “The surgeons cracked my chest open, cut the artery at the top of my heart and sucked out an enormous clot.

“I suffered a stroke in hospital down my right side and my kidneys were also affected, so it took me a while to recover.

“But now I know we are only on this planet for a very short time and you have to make the most of it.”

Mr Hillis said his experience helped him empathise with people he treated as a paramedic, adding: “It’s a humbling experience. I think what I went through has added another dimension to my skill.”