Paul Houle, a senior at Tabor Academy, arrived at pre-season three weeks ago with clothes, books, and one new addition – an Apple Watch. Excited about his new gadget, he of course wore it to his football practices that day. After practice, however, when his heart rate should have slowed significantly, he glanced at his Apple Watch, which has a heart rate monitor, and saw that it was still beating at about 145 beats per minute.
He consulted the Health Center and was rushed to the hospital. There, he was diagnosed with Rhabdomyolysis, a condition in which fibers from your muscles are released into the bloodstream.
It is a serious condition, which can lead to kidney failure and even death in severe cases. It’s a good thing he caught it early, Houle said, explaining what would happen if he had played another practice.
“I would have lost all control of my muscles and there was a good chance I would have fallen down on the field and died right there,” Houle said.
But the miracles don’t end there. A couple of local media sources reported the events and the next day, Paul Houle received a call from none other than Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple. Cook checked in with Paul, asking him about school and how he was feeling after his near-death experience. Then, much to Paul’s surprise, Cook offered him an internship with Apple in California next summer and sent him the new iPhone 6s Plus the day before it was released, making him one of the first people in the world to get this new phone.
Since then, Houle has been interviewed by ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, Huffington Post, Business Insider, and Good Morning America.
“There have been countless other websites that have covered my story all over the world,” Houle said. “I was with Good Morning America until around 1:00 am one night this week.”
Houle never expected this kind of attention, he said. When he purchased the Apple Watch, it’s capability to track heart rate didn’t even cross his mind.
The heart rate monitor “was never a feature I thought was going to be a big deal for me,” Houle noted. “But when it was elevated, I knew something was wrong.” It’s a good thing he was paying such close attention.
From the actual event of his near-death experience to everything that has happened in its wake, the Apple Watch has irrevocably changed Paul Houle’s life.
By Madeleine Gregory
