LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A device that could save your life in seconds could be missing at many of the places you go every day.

An automated external defibrillator (AED) recently saved a Louisville man's life and he's now part of a mission to make sure they're everywhere. Two months ago, Trey Mobley collapsed at the gym from cardiac arrest.

"I think of myself as being fairly in fairly decent shape," Trey Mobley said. "So it was complete and utter shock."

Within minutes, Lakeside Swim Club staff members administered CPR and used an AED.

"It felt like both an eternity and also quick as a flash," Lakeside Swim Club General Manager, George Villarreal, said.

Maj. Stephanie Way with Louisville Metro Emergency Services said minutes really matter in situations like this.

"My mental prognosis would not be near as good if they were not on it so quick and didn't have the AED so maybe I would be alive but significantly mentally impaired," Mobley said.

Quick reaction time and the AED helped paramedics save his life. Karen Sheets-Mobley, his wife, said it was unbelievably scary.

"It's good to be alive," Mobley said.

On Friday, he got to meet the people who saved his life for the very first time. Those people include Louisville Metro Emergency Services employees Joshua McKeehan, Maj. Stephanie Way, and Chuck Shaffer, as well as, Lakeside Swim Club employees George Villarreal, Mary Graves, and Keegan Bolt.

"It's very fulfilling there rewarding to see the impact of our work," Joshua McKeehan, a paramedic for LMES, said. "I think the staff here just did a great job. They were able to give me a clearer picture of what happened beforehand (and) that they were able to deliver a defibrillation before we got here."

"We rarely ever get to meet anybody and it's nice because sometimes we kind of forget about, you know, we just move on to the next run," Chuck Shaffer, a technician for LMES, said.

"It feels good to see him walk here. Last time we saw him it was pretty rough. So I'm glad to see him standing up healthy," Keegan Bolt, a lifeguard at Lakeside Swim Club, said.

"They'll never know. I know that. They'll say 'Oh, it's just my job.' And yeah, so life without Trey would just be horrible," Sheets-Mobley said.

Sheets-Mobley said moments after Trey regained consciousness he wanted to write everyone a thank you note.

"Like, no, we're gonna do a little bit more than I think, you know, so, like, what else can you do? Send them a fruit basket, like no," Sheets-Mobley said.

So, she came up with the idea to raise money to purchase AEDs for areas in Louisville that have the highest rate of heart disease.

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An Automated External Defibrillators (AED).

"It's wonderful and we know that there are communities that don't have the funding for an AED," Lakeside Swim Club general manager, Mary Graves, said. "So, their efforts of doing a fundraiser and this is absolute proof that AED saves lives."

One AED can cost anywhere between $1,500-$3,000.

All public schools in Kentucky require AEDs at high school practices and athletic sporting events and in dentist offices.

JCPS starting installing AED's in every school last year, not too longer after Kentucky lawmakers discussed it the topic in Frankfort.

However, all crowded public places like churches, malls, or grocery store don't require AED's on-site.

"I just recently made another run in the Kroger down here where we had another cardiac arrest and was able to save that person as well. And I'm not sure if the stores carry a defibrillator or not, but one wasn't deployed on him until the fire department got there," Schaffer said.

"If we could purchase one, that would be about $3,000, which would be awesome. And everything over that is just icing on the cake," Sheets-Mobley said.

The fundraiser's deadline is St. Patrick's Day, March 17, on Trey's 55th birthday.

"The value of one person's life is impossible to measure," Mobley said.

To donate, click here.

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