This Man’s Apple Watch Saved His Life by Revealing Seven Blood Clots

There’s no doubt that Apple makes some fun and life-changing devices in many ways, but nowhere is this more apparent than the Apple Watch, which has quite literally saved many lives over the years by alerting users to otherwise-undiagnosed medical conditions and providing a lifeline to getting help in an emergency.

The stories of the health features on the Apple Watch go right back to the original “Series 0” model, when a high school football player sought medical help based on an Apple Watch heart rate alert, leading to a diagnosis of Rhabdomyolysis, which could have been fatal had the teenager not sought medical treatment.

Since then, the life-saving Apple Watch stories have continued pouring in, ranging from early discoveries of such conditions as atrial fibrillation, myocardial ischemia, ventricular bigeminy, supraventricular tachycardia, and even erupted ulcers and kidney failure to helping rescue kidnapping victims, saving cyclists from raging rivers, and calling paramedics even when the wearer is unconscious.

Now in yet another report of the Apple Watch alerting a seemingly healthy person to a deadly condition, a 43-year-old photographer in Evans, Georgia discovered he had a staggering seven blood clots that would have likely gone undiagnosed for much longer had it not been for his Apple Watch altering him to a disturbingly low heart rate.

Started ‘Feeling Off’

As reported by WRDW, the man, Keith Simpson, had taken up photography a while back in an effort to get healthier by encouraging him to get out of the house and walk around. However, after returning from an outing one day in November, he described himself as feeling a bit off.

I turned to my wife and I didn’t even have to ask her, she already saw how flushed I looked.

Keith Simpson

While it’s unclear what Simpson would have done otherwise, he turned to his Apple Watch to see what it had to say about things, discovering that his heart rate “had dropped well below” its usual reading.

This prompted Simpson to check his blood pressure using a separate blood pressure monitor, since of course the Apple Watch doesn’t offer this feature (at least not yet), and then call his doctor who told him to get to the hospital immediately.

When Simpson arrived at the emergency room, the doctor discovered that he had not just one blood clot, but seven, and although the issue was resolved through fairly routine treatments, Simpson’s doctor said it could have been much worse had the Apple Watch not alerted him to the early signs.

At that point, he was like I’m glad you came in today because if you had not come in, things could have very well turned out differently.

Keith Simpson

Although Simpson had to spend a few weeks in the hospital, his wife had a new Apple Watch waiting for him as an early Christmas present when he did finally get to come home.

Simpson also emailed Tim Cook about his experience, sharing the details with WRDW, adding that he got a response back from the Apple CEO in less than 20 minutes, with Cook responding from his iPad Pro, “I’m so glad you sought medical attention and treatment. Thanks for sharing your story with us — it inspires us to keep pushing forward.”

As Simpson noted in his email to Cook, “As much as I and my family fell in love with these Apple products, I could not have imagined that one would save my life. But that’s exactly what my Apple Watch did.”