Aurora University in Williams Bay, Wis., experienced a somber day in autumn 2003. On this day, the university held a memorial service for an employee of the school's groundskeeping staff who died suddenly of cardiac arrest seven months earlier. Mary Scott, the registered nurse at the university's health department, was among the many who attended the service.

Two hours after the service, as she was leaving her office for the day, Scott learned that something was wrong with another colleague. John Horak, the university's director of housekeeping, was slumped over his desk. Scott ran to Horak's office at the opposite end of the building, where she quickly determined that he had no pulse. She ran back to her office to get a Defibtech ReviveRTM automated external defibrillator (AED). When she got back to Horak, she applied the chest pads to him and delivered a defibrillating shock. "I just put all my faith in this machine and hit the shock button," Scott remembers. Seconds later, Horak was revived, his pulse returning. "It was a good first response," Scott said. Soon afterward, emergency medical services (EMS) personnel arrived and transported him to a local hospital, where he began the road to full recovery. He had suffered ventricular fibrillation, the most common form of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), a condition where the heart suddenly becomes arrhythmic. Timely defibrillation greatly improves the chances of surviving sudden cardiac arrest, which kills more than 400,000 people every year. With timely defibrillation, the majority of SCA victims survive; without it, fewer than 5 percent live.

When Horak returned to work, he presented flowers to Scott. When he asked how he could thank her, Scott said, "Just opening your eyes was thanks enough for me."

The saving of Horak’s life completed a process that began with the death of the groundskeeping employee. Due to that distressing event, Scott and other Aurora officials decided to purchase the AED. A Cintas Corp. distributor of the Defibtech AED, Lynne Valentine, personally delivered the AED to Scott's office.

With one life saved to their credit, Aurora University officials immediately decided to buy a second Defibtech AED. This one is located at the front desk of the school's administrative building. Scott and Horak are now both active advocates of AEDs. "It gives you the chance to act quickly," Scott said. "It saves lives." Horak said, "If it wasn't for the defibrillator, I wouldn't be here."