7 Times an Apple Watch Helped Save Someone’s Life

People buy Apple Watches for various reasons, ranging from health and fitness to productivity. It's a useful device, to be sure, but many people probably dismiss it as an item of convenience. The following stories might prove otherwise.

Apple's flagship wearable also sports a variety of sensors and features that can actually help to save a life when the unthinkable happens. Through heart rates sensors and emergency features, the Apple Watch can alert users to life-threatening conditions or help them get in contact with first responders. Here are seven times that the wearable did just that.

7 A Florida Teen

Just this month, a Florida teenager told local Tampa Bay media outlets that her Apple wearable had saved her life. While at church on a Sunday, the young woman’s Apple Watch alerted her and her family to a critical medical condition and urged them to seek immediate medical attention.

The teen, Deanna Recktenwald, got an alert warning that her heart rate had reached 190 BPM. Recktenwald was rushed to the emergency room — where she was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. While Deanna will likely require kidney transplants, her mother (a registered nurse) wrote in a letter to Apple that the Apple Watch had saved her daughter’s life.

6 A Mother and Her Baby

Late last year, a 24-year-old woman and her 9-month-old baby were driving when their vehicle was struck by a drunk driver. The woman, Kacie Anderson, told Shape earlier in 2018 that she scrambled for her iPhone, but was unable to find it due to blacking out. When she realized she was wearing her Apple Watch, she used it to call for aid via SOS.

When first responders arrived, Anderson and her son were rushed to the hospital. While her baby only suffered scrapes and bruises, Anderson’s own injuries were much more serious. She said she suffered a concussion, as well as ruptured muscles and bulging disks. But the woman still credits the Apple Watch’s SOS feature with “saving” her and her son.

5 A Brooklyn Man

Last October, a Brooklyn man said that his Apple Watch notified him of a life-threatening condition that might have gone unnoticed otherwise. The man, James Greene, wrote in a tweet on Oct. 13, 2017 that his wearable gave alerted him to a dangerous spike in his heart rate.

After receiving the alert, Greene went to his doctor, where he found out that he had a pulmonary embolism. It’s a deadly condition caused by blocked arteries in the lungs — but one that becomes much less risky when given prompt treatment. Greene later said in a tweet that he never imagined a “wrist computer” would end up saving his life.

4 A Cape Cod Football Player

An elevated heart rate is a pretty typical result of strenuous exercise. But sometimes, it can be indicative of something much more dangerous. That was the case when an Apple Watch alerted a Cape Cod teen to a dangerous situation while playing football.

Paul Houle Jr. was at a pre-season practice when his Apple Watch alerted him that his heart rate climbed to 145 beats per minute. While that could be a normal heart rate after exercise for Houle, his heart rate never went back down. When taken to the hospital, Houle was diagnosed with Rhabdomyolysis — a condition that could lead to muscle death. In a later interview, said he was “very grateful” for his Apple Watch.

3 A New Yorker

New York resident William Monzidelis can attest to the fact that an Apple Watch can save a life. Just a few days ago, the man was made aware of a potentially fatal condition by his Apple Watch while working a shift at his family’s bowling alley. After feeling faint and beginning to bleed, Monzidelis was taken to the hospital.

On the way there, he began to experience more bleeding and seizures. Doctors later discovered that Monzidelis had suffered an erupted ulcer. By the time he was seen by medical professionals, he had lost almost 80 percent of his total blood volume. He later said that even the doctors told him that the Watch saved his life — “It really was a magical device,” he told NBC.

2 A Heart Attack Victim

The Apple Watch is proven to be useful in detecting various heart conditions, but one man’s story reveals that it can also help to save a life in the event of a heart attack. Scott Killian, 50, told 9to5Mac of his own personal experience with the Watch's life-saving capabilities. One night, Killian said his Apple Watch alerted him around 1 a.m. of a spike in his resting heart rate.

Looking over previous heart rate data, Killian decided to go to the hospital. There, doctors took various tests and discovered evidence that Killian had or was suffering a heart attack. Later, when he told his surgeon that the Apple Watch prompted him to go to the ER, the doctor gave him a remarkable response: “He said had I kept sleeping, I probably wouldn’t have woken up.”

1 A Student in a Car Crash

College student Casey Bennett, 22, was on his way home from campus one day last year when he was involved in a car accident. His vehicle, which had been struck by another car, flipped over onto its side — leaving him hanging from his seatbelt. But the crash had also flung the young man’s iPhone out of reach.

Despite being dazed from the impact, Bennett said he realized he was wearing his Apple Watch — and activated its SOS feature. The Watch alerted his family and emergency responders, who took six minutes to arrive while dispatchers remained on the one with him. Bennett later wrote to Apple CEO Tim Cook to thank him for the emergency feature.