Episode 11

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Published on:

26th Mar 2026

Mobilizing a Movement for AED Awareness: When SCA Inspires a Community to Change

One minute you’re doing what you’ve always done, feeling strong, staying active, living your routine. The next, everything changes. When Sudden Cardiac Arrest strikes, strength and discipline are thrown out the window. Whether you make it through comes down to who’s around you, whether AEDs are available, and how quickly people will respond.

In this episode of SaveHeart Stories, host Dave Fritzsche, founder of SaveHeart by HeartNation sits down with Trey Mobley and Karen Sheets-Mobley to share a story with a happy ending that could have gone very differently. Trey suffered sudden cardiac arrest while working out in December 2023. What followed was a chain reaction of fast action, trained responders, and access to an AED. In short, everything that needed to go right did.

What happened next is changing lives. From launching a grassroots effort to fund AED placements, to advocating for awareness in underserved areas of Louisville, to personally training others in hands-only CPR, they are helping others to become more aware of the dangers or SCA, and to be prepared with AEDs.

When you hear this story, and then you see, or don’t, an available AED where people gather, you’ll think differently. That’s the goal, and that’s what this podcast is all about.

Takeaways

– Sudden cardiac arrest can happen without warning, even in active, healthy individuals

– Immediate CPR and AED access were the difference in Trey’s survival

– Bystander awareness and fast action matter more than most people realize

– Many public places still lack accessible AEDs when seconds count

– Family history and hidden conditions often go unchecked until it’s too late

– Survival often creates a responsibility to advocate and educate others

– Grassroots efforts can quickly expand awareness and save lives

– Hands-only CPR is simple to learn and can be taught to anyone

– Visibility of AEDs changes how people think about safety in public spaces


Chapters

00:18 Introduction:

02:05 Trey Mobley’s Story

07:55 Mobilizing a Movement

16:16 No Warning Signs to SCA

10:27 Partnerships for Effectiveness

19:23 Next Steps and Opportunities

25:05 Contacting Karen and Trey

29:20 Closing Thoughts


Helpful Links:

Karen Sheets-Mobley and Trey Mobley: Contact them through Dave Fritzsche

Dave Fritzsche at SaveHeart by HeartNation: https://saveheart.life/

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About the Podcast

SaveHeart Stories
Real-life stories of sudden cardiac arrest and the need to place AEDs everywhere people gather- indoors and outside. Because one life lost is too many, these stories matter.
Real Life stories of lives saved, lost, and changed saved due to Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA)- the largest cause of natural death in the United States. The SaveHeart Stories podcast sheds light on how to drastically improve SCA survival rates by placing Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) everywhere people live, work, and play, training more people in basic CPR & AED use, and promoting youth heart screenings to uncover potential heart defects in teenagers.

Every year in the U.S., out-of-hospital SCA claims the lives of 356,000 people, including more than 23,000 teenagers. SCA strikes without warning and affects people from every walk of life, regardless of age, race, gender, ethnicity, or even health profile. While Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) is essential to help blood flow to vital organs after an SCA event, the only real cure for SCA is an electrical shock from an AED, which the American Heart Association recommends should happen within 3 minutes. Sadly, today, less than 10% of SCA victims survive, largely because AEDs aren’t located close enough to where people are.

There is an increasing number of stories in the media about how having an AED saved a precious life, or worse, how not having an AED nearby resulted in a tragic and unnecessary death. SaveHeart Stories should inspire us to do something about it now- individually, and together- so that our stories can change from sadness to celebration- and from tragedy to triumph.

SaveHeart Stories is brought to you by your host, Dave Fritzsche, AED industry veteran and founder of SaveHeart by HeartNation. Proudly ‘Made in the USA,’ SaveHeart’s highly visible, alarmed, lighted, temperature-controlled and 24x7 monitored outdoor cabinets provide immediate visibility & access to lifesaving AEDs, Stop the Bleed Kits, Narcan, and other emergency supplies. They are ideal for parks, athletic fields & courts, trails, schools & universities, business districts, marinas, beaches, and any outdoor locations where people congregate.

To learn more about how Outdoor AEDs can keep your community safer, call 312-953-6928 or email dave@saveheart.life.

About your host

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Dave Fritzsche

Dave Fritzsche has been in the Automated External Defibrillator (AED) industry for over 25 years
This includes 2 stints at AED manufacturer Defibtech- as initial investor, VP of Sales & Marketing, VP of Business Development, and Executive Committee Member. Working with truly innovative products and an outstanding team, Dave helped take Defibtech from unknown AED start-up to a major industry player. In 2007, Defibtech was named as the fastest growing medical device company in the U.S. by Deloitte & Touche and was acquired in 2012 by Nihon Kohden Corporation. In 2016, Dave helped launch the Lifeline ARM automated CPR device.

In 2006, Dave was diagnosed with apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and an abnormal EKG
Fortunately, annual check-ups have not shown an increased thickening of his heart muscle over time. Still, his diagnosis and experience is the reason behind SaveHeart’s support of several not-for-profit organizations focused on enabling greater AED access and increased SCA awareness and prevention. This includes many local organizations founded by parents who have lost a child to SCA, as well as various heart screening organizations that help detect heart defects & abnormalities in teenagers. He considers himself lucky to work with and support such incredible people & organizations who share a mission to promote greater AED access, enhanced heart screening efforts and breakthrough monitoring technology to help eliminate unnecessary SCA deaths.