Evan Killham, Cult of Mac:

> A teen sought medical attention after his Apple Watch heart monitor gave him persistently high readings, and that decision saved him from an untimely death. > > Paul Houle, a 17-year-old football player, bought Apple’s wearable a few days before he started pre-season training at Tabor Academy in Marion, Mass. After two practices in one day, he noticed that his heart rate was sitting around 145 beats per minute, even hours after he’d stopped exercising. > > He wouldn’t know until later, but he was experiencing a potentially life-threatening condition.

And:

> Doctors later diagnosed Houle with rhabdomyolysis, a syndrome linked to muscle injury. It occurs when muscle tissue breaks down and releases proteins into the bloodstream that can interfere with kidney, lung, and heart functions, as it did in this case. The overexertion due to two practices on the first day of training was likely too much of a strain on the unconditioned muscles, which caused them to break down.

And:

> “At the hospital, they told me that if I had gone to practice the next day that 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,” he says. “I’m very grateful for that heart rate monitor.”

A bit of follow-up from CBS:

> What makes this story even more fascinating – he got a surprise phone call from Apple CEO Tim Cook. And his heart rate went up again. > > Cook offered Houle the new iPhone and an internship next summer at Apple.

Terrific story. [Hat tip to Brother Stu]