A HEREFORDSHIRE woman has survived seven heart attacks in an hour - and says she felt more anger than relief after surviving the bolt from the blue that nearly killed her.

Jennifer Stephens of Weobley, was 'miserable, hurt and very angry' when she came around in hospital on her 45th birthday to discover her life had changed for ever.

"Only the day before I was a fit and healthy woman with a busy social life," she said.

"I did tae-bo, ran on the treadmill every day, ate healthily, did not drink or smoke and had a fulfilling job at the Macintyre Centre over the border in Powys," she added.

Describing the moment the multiple heart attacks struck, she said the whole experience was now very sketchy.

"It was just before 9am and my son had gone off to school when it felt like I had a piece of toast stuck in my chest," she explained.

"I drank some water and went upstairs to the bathroom and then it felt like a sledgehammer went through me.

"I don't remember much after that, but I somehow rang my doctors down the road and said my name and that I had a pain in my chest.

"They later found me collapsed on the floor in the hall."

A blank then filled the next 24 hours before Jennifer awoke in Hereford County Hospital.

"I was very emotional and found it hard to come to terms with the things the doctor told me," she said.

"But the nurses were superb. They treated me excellently and kept my morale up, which must have been very stressful for them, because of the way I was."

To thank the staff, Jennifer's sister Wendy suggested they organise a bingo night at Weobley Village Hall to raise money for the cardiac care unit.

"My family did most of the preparation and the whole community got involved by donating some marvellous prizes, which helped us raise £755.30 for the hospital," said Jennifer.

"Although I can no longer work and I have to take a lot of drugs and attend rehab once a week, the support I received helped me take my mind off things and made me very happy."