Apple smartwatch saved yet another life by detecting a rare hidden fatal tumor in the United States. Following the detection, the user, a Maine woman went through life-saving surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and is now recovering.
Kim Durkee, the user, at one point thought her Apple Watch was malfunctioning but now “swears by it.” She thanked her Apple watch and told WBZ-T, “it truly saved my life.”
Apple Watch has several invaluable health features. Its heart health features can uncover hidden health issues that could prove deadly if gone undetected. Durkee saw warnings from her smartwatch two nights in a row that her heart was experiencing atrial fibrillation back in May, 9To5Mac reported. At first, Durkee thought that it must be an error.
“The third night the numbers went a little too high for comfort,” Kim told 9To5Mac. “Then I said you know what, go to the emergency room if they tell you it’s nothing to worry about then toss the watch.”
When Durkee got herself checked to be on a safer side, she found it was indeed atrial fibrillation and the cause was an unknown, aggressive tumor. It was later found that she had a myxoma, a rare, fast-growing tumor that was choking off her heart’s blood supply and would have eventually caused a stroke. Notably, Durkee had no symptoms other than the atrial fibrillation that her Apple Watch caught.
Durkee is recovering at home and says that Apple Watch “truly saved my life.” CBS News notes she’s “been contacted by many who have bought Apple Watches after hearing her story.”
Durkee quickly made arrangements for a trip to Mass General, where she underwent surgery on June 27. Doctors removed a four-centimeter tumor that almost certainly would’ve killed her, CBS reported. “I consider myself to be very lucky, to be here and talking to you,” Kim said
This isn’t the first when Apple smartwatch has saved a life. Earlier it was reported that it saved the life of a stranded kayaker and a woman trapped in an icy river.
