Cernilli, a 47-year-old Apex resident, came as close to death as you can get and live to tell about it. It was around lunchtime March 25 and he was using the weightlifting equipment at the Y's fitness center. Suddenly, he collapsed.

Karen Livingston, a fitness instructor, knew immediately something was seriously wrong.

She called over Chris Heymer, another fitness instructor, to assess the situation. They called 911, but Cernilli's situation quickly deteriorated.

His breathing was very labored, and, as they monitored his pulse, it began to slow, Livingston said.

"It just stopped," she recalled. "It was shocking."

They asked if there were any medical personnel in the house and a nurse happened to be there. The nurse (who wishes to remain anonymous) grabbed the Y's Automated External Defibrillator, a portable device used to restore normal heart rhythm.

While the nurse prepared the defibrillator, Livingston and Heymer continued to attend to Cernilli. "We were tag teaming with the CPR," Livingston said.

The machine showed a flat line for Cernilli's heart beat, she said. But more spikes began to show up on the defibrillator monitor as it began to work, she said.

Paramedics quickly arrived and took Cernilli to Rex Hospital.

In a telephone interview from the hospital Tuesday, he sounded tired but happy -- and grateful.

"What can you say to someone who saved your life?" he said. "No amount of thanks is sufficient."

Cernilli went home Wednesday.

Livingston and Heymer will get some sort of official recognition, said Tony Campione, branch director. Already, Cernilli's family has dropped by the Y to say thanks, and bring flowers.

Heymer has an "aw shucks" attitude about the whole thing. "I just reacted and did what I was taught to do," he said.

Y employees are trained not only to use an Automated External Defibrillator, but also to administer first aid, oxygen and CPR, Campione said.

There's a moral to this tale -- several actually:

* Automated External Defibrillators are a good investment.

* CPR training is a wise thing to do.

* Paramedics deserve a lot of appreciation. In Cernilli's case, they arrived in six minutes, according to his wife, Angie.

* Cernilli had no history of heart problems. Live your life to the fullest -- you never know how long you have to live.