Two Apple Watch users who were able to survive their medical issues after receiving alerts from their wearable devices emailed Tim Cook to thank him, both report they received responses from the Apple CEO in just a few hours.
The Apple Watch has a long history of saving the lives of its users in several different situations, be it health-related or accident-related situations. While we frequently both report and see such stories, not many affected users have reported actually hearing from Mr. Cook so soon after they contacted him.
In the two separate incidents we’re reporting on today, the Apple Watch users were warned of heart problems by their device. in both cases, the users sent emails to Tim Cook, who replied to them.
Email #1
KAKE reports that Michael Gallegos of Wichita, Kansas had received an Apple Watch as a gift from son Nick. The report says the Apple Watch detected an irregular heart rhythm while Michael slept, and Nick received a notification via Family Sharing, which luckily was enabled. “I think if I recall the notification said that his heart was below 40 beats per minute for over ten minutes,” Nick recounts.
Nick contacted his father and urged him to seek medical attention. Nick then took his father to the ER, where a previously undiagnosed heart condition was detected and surgery was performed on Michael.
“They said that I was pretty lucky. And, you know, good choice for my son for getting me the watch. Because, you know, I would have never known. It would have been too late,” Michael explains. Doctors also told him that he would not have survived if he hadn’t been fitted with a pacemaker.
as Michael was recovering, Nick emailed Cook with a thank you note. Nick says the email was sent at around 12:30 p.m., and he received a personal response from Cook by 2 p.m.
“I’m glad your father sought medical attention and received the treatment he needed. Thanks so much for sharing his story with us. Please give him my best,” wrote the CEO.
Nick described the email response as “just amazing. It’s just crazy to see that.”
Email #2
ABC 13 reports Professor Christopher Oakley of Asheville, North Carolina also sent an email to Cook about his August 2021 incident, when Oakley had been performing yardwork before cleaning his bathroom.
“I remember standing here (the bathroom) looking at this thing of Marilyn Monroe on the wall and I remember looking at that and going Why am I feeling nauseous?’ and the next thing I know I went down over here and hit this on the way down and was jammed into this little alcove,” Oakley said.
When he got up, he discovered that his heart was racing as if he had “just run a marathon.” Oakley rested a bit, then headed to his bedroom. “I either fell asleep or passed out. I don’t remember. I just remember waking up in the morning and it was still racing.”
Oakley’s husband rushed him to the emergency room, but unfortunately, his heart had slowed down by the time a doctor was to see him.
“They’re looking at me like why are you here?” Oakley said, with doctors telling him to go home. Luckily, Oakley told doctors that he had an Apple Watch and showed notifications that his heart had raced between 121 and 151 beats per minute all during the night.
Using that information, the doctors detected that Oakley had been having a heart attack and performed double bypass surgery on him a few days later.
Oakley says that ever since then, he has been “evangelizing” the Apple Watch, and two years later, decided to email Cook to thank him for the Apple Watch’s assistance.
“I just really appreciate all the work you and your folks have put into this in order to create a product that not only tells you the time, but also saves your life,” wrote Oakley.
Three hours later, Cook wrote back, saying “We’re just happy you’re doing well.”
“We used to collect watches and things, like Disney watches and things like that, but I haven’t worn one in years because this is my lifesaver,” Oakley said.
