The YMCA organizations serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul area saw their strong commitment to health and safety pay off on March 17, 2004.

On that day, fitness director Kim Ustruck used a Defibtech ReviveRTM automated external defibrillator (AED) to save the life of a long-time YMCA member who suffered sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) after working out.

"It happened in our health and fitness center," Ustruck remembers. "I found out about it when they called 911 and paged the management staff. I grabbed the AED."

Kim found a fitness center staffer at the scene, as well as three medical professionals who all happened to be working out at the time. A nurse and a physician were among the first responders and began performing CPR. The AED was placed on the man's chest and began to analyze the heart rhythm. The AED's "voice" told the rescue team to "stand clear. . . . Press red shock button."

After the first shock, Ustruck said the man's color came back and he started to breathe on his own. "It was just like clockwork," she said. "It was amazing. The machine directed us what to do, and he started breathing on his own again."