People can say many negative things about Apple’s devices and services, and they do, but you just can’t deny that they are beneficial to many, many people. The Apple Watch is now saving lives.
A teenage athlete is just the next to be saved by the Apple Watch. While he was sitting in a class in school, it alarmed him that he had an unusually high heart rate, prompting action. Without the device, he wouldn’t have known and wouldn’t have sought help.
Teen Seeks Help
There are often stories appearing in the news of people claiming that their Apple Watches saved their lives. However, there does not appear to be any hard data as to just how many lives have been saved, but it isn’t always issues with the heart. A mountain biker was saved when he fell and hit his head, knocking him unconscious. The Apple Watch dialed 9-1-1 and alerted authorities who found him and took him to a nearby hospital.
For this more recent case to hit the news, 13-year-old Skylar Joslin was wearing a new Apple Watch. He’d only had it for two weeks. It alerted him that his heart rate was 190 beats per minute, despite him just sitting in class. He took a screenshot and sent it to his mother.
“I got a text message along with a screenshot of his heart rate that was 190,” said the young man’s mother. “The following message saying, mommy, there’s something wrong, I’m not doing anything.”
The Oklahoma teen had never had any known issues with his heart prior to the event he had that day. It’s unknown if they would have ever discovered anything was wrong or how far it would have progressed until something was discovered more organically.
Joslin was ultimately diagnosed with Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT). He spent nearly eight hours in surgery to repair this condition. After more testing and monitoring while he played football, doctors announced he was healthy and released him to play.
Continuing to wear his Apple Watch every day, Joslin is recommending that everyone get one of their own to be forewarned of any heart issues. On April 25 he will front the Oklahoma American Heart Association Walk.
Music to Apple’s Ears
Every time there’s another life-saving story with the Apple Watch, the company obviously enjoys the publicity. Jeff Williams, the chief operating officer, has said it’s the best news of his day when he receives another “Apple Watch saved me” email. The company often shares videos of these stories as well.
Do these stories inspire you to get an Apple Watch of your own? Tell us your thoughts in a comment below.
Image Credit: NBC News and public domain
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