Haute 100 SF: Tim Cook Offers Internship to Teen Who Says Apple Watch Saved His Life

With the release of its new devices, like the Apple Watch, Apple has put a lot of focus on the health capabilities of the tech products. Thankfully, for one teen in Massachusetts the watch has lived up to its abilities.

According to CBS, 17-year-old Paul Houle credits the watch for saving his life. Houle told the media outlet; following a football practice he felt pain in his back and chest. The teen tested his heart rate on the watch, which he purchased just three days prior, and it showed his heart rate at 145 for nearly two hours after football practice.

The teen contacted his trainer, who also checked his rate manually and rushed Houle to the hospital. At the hospital, doctors discovered Houle was suffering from a condition called rhabdomyolysis, also referred to rhabdo for short. Rhabdomyolosis is a serious syndrome due to a direct or indirect muscle injury. It results from the death of muscle fibers and release of their contents into the bloodstream, as stated by Web MD. It can lead to kidney failure or worst case scenarios death.

He said in the interview, “I was so dehydrated that my muscles started to actually break down and release a protein that is sort of toxic into my blood stream which caused my heart, my liver and my kidneys all to shut down.”

Houle will unfortunately miss part of the football season, but is grateful to be alive.

Since the incident as occurred Apple’s CEO Tim Cook has reached out to the teen. According to Apple Insider, Cook is reportedly offering a new iPhone and a 2016 summer internship to the high school student.

So what exactly does the Apple Watch health capabilities include? According to Apple, the device measures all the ways you move, such as walking the dog, taking the stairs, or playing with your kids. It even keeps track of when you stand up and encourages you to keep moving. It can track your heart rate using data from the Apple Watch heart rate sensor. You’ll also get real-time stats like elevation change, average speed, and distance covered.

Photo via Wikimedia Commons