Mt. Kisco Athletic Club personal trainers Kathy Margiasso and Valerie Yaskovic are in the business of promoting healthy living. On the morning of July 15, their jobs were simply to promote living.

A little before 9 a.m., in the midst of the gym's peak hours, Margiasso, the fitness director, and Yaskovic were preparing for their next clients. Suddenly, a member came running into the gym's lobby and frantically informed the staff that someone had fallen off of a treadmill. Suspecting cuts, bruises and maybe a hit to the head, Margiasso ran to retrieve a first aid kit while Yaskovic headed into the cardio room to assess the situation.

When Yaskovic spotted the man - gray in the face and lying motionless on his back between treadmill #39 and a railing - it immediately became apparent that the situation called for more than bandages and ointment. Margiasso turned around to exchange the first aid kit for the club's Automated External Defibrillator (AED).

While Yaskovic stayed with the fallen member - already a heart attack survivor - other trainers held back the growing crowd, and Marigasso, an American Red Cross and American Heart Association certified CPR and AED instructor, returned and was prepared to handle the surreal scene. Gym Manager Tom Brady heard the AED alarm go off and called 911. From there, according to Marigasso, the case was textbook. Yaskovic announced that the man was not breathing, while Margiasso calmed her shaking hand to search for a non-existent pulse. Margiasso strapped the AED pads to the man's chest and waited for the machine's automated prompt.

The AED told the trainers to proceed with the shock and, following exact procedure, the women initiated the electrical impulse, cleared away from the body and began two-person CPR. The trainers, who have known each other for six years, snapped into action. Margiasso started compressions and, once confirming the situation as sanitary, Yaskovic delivered breaths. After three cycles, Margiasso noticed the man's legs moving. A non-uniformed volunteer EMT member showed up with an oxygen bag and the trainers were relieved of their heroic duties.

Fifteen minutes after the incident began, paramedics arrived to transfer the 64-year-old man to Northern Westchester Hospital. After composing themselves, Margiasso, Yaskovic and Margiasso's 10 a.m. appointment escaped to a local diner to soak in the events of the past hour. Although both women realized that they had reacted impeccably and probably saved a life, neither knew how close the member had been to death.

The man regained consciousness while at Northern Westchester Hospital and was then transferred to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, where he underwent double bypass surgery.

When contacted about who the man was, Lauren Gannon, a membership consultant for MAC, explained that they do not identify names of members.

The man is receovering from his surgery. Just a few days later, he is conscious, out of bed and surfing the net. When Brady stopped by for a visit, the patient had no recollection of his collapse. He did not know that he owed his life to an experienced CPR instructor who was educated enough to identify agonal breathing and recognize early cardiac arrest. He could not remember the person who lifted his chin, cleared his airway and breathed oxygen into his lungs. Instead, he was under the impression that a police officer had brought him back to life. Brady showed the man a video news clip covering the incident, and assured him that it was two heroic personal trainers that got the job done, and told him that, although he was more than welcome to workout at MAC again, he should take some time to recover. The patient is eager to get back in the gym and, when he does, Yaskovic is ready to turn from his savior into his trainer.