In a story of advertising you can’t buy, Apple’s Tim Cook has extended an internship opportunity to a high school football player who maintains that his Apple Watch saved his life.
Apple Watch saved a high school footballer’s life – What happened?
Last weekend saw 17-year-old Massachusetts teen Paul Houle finishing up football practice as he normally does. But this weekend turned out to be a bit different. Following practice, Houle felt as though his heart was racing. His Apple Watch soon confirmed this understanding as it measures a wearers resting heartbeat roughly every three minutes. Houle recognized that his resting heartbeat was nearly double his average at 145 beats per second but he simply chalked it up to an especially hot day on Cape Cod. Houle then removed his watch (presumably) to shower and went home to take a nap. Following his nap, Houle’s watch made it clear to him that his heart rate remained extremely elevated prompting him to go to the hospital.
“After practice I went and took a nap, my heart rate was still at 145. If my Apple Watch hadn’t shown me it was 145, I would have done nothing about it,” said Houle in an interview with ABC affiliate WCVB.
At the hospital, Houle was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, a condition that can lead to heart, liver and kidney failure without treatment. Suffice is to say, the story became news following Houle’s claims that the his Apple Watch saved his life.
Somewhat ironically, his father was against his plan to purchase an Apple Watch with money that he had saved never mind the fact that it may have saved his life.
“I can remember when the Apple Watch was coming out,” said the teenager’s father, “and I said, ‘ok, there’s no way I’m buying one.’ Then I went out on Saturday and purchased an Apple Watch for my wife, and for myself.”
A call from Tim Cook
In this day and age, news travels fast and it didn’t take long for the story to reach Apple’s CEO Tim Cook.
This week saw Houle wondering whom in California was calling him and hesitantly answered the phone only to hear from a tech luminary.
“Hello, my name is Tim Cook, CEO of Apple,” was what he heard on the other end according to the teenager.
After a brief conversation Mr. Cook offered Houle a new iPhone as well as an internship at the Apple campus in Cupertino, CA next summer.
Whether or not Houle is qualified for the position is anyone’s guess, but it seems quite clear that Mr. Cook is going to milk this story regardless.
