This piece by Federico Viticci is moving. It is equal parts a cancer survival story, full of harrowing detail and heroic triumphs, and, at the same time, a detailed look at the HealthKit ecosystem. But the best part for me is the denouement, the upshot of his journey:

The iPhone is an object that we buy. It’s made by Apple, which is a company that wants to make money. But that’s not how I look at this. Call me naive and romantic, but I dropped cynicism a long time ago. Think about it this way: there are people who found a way to make a tiny computer that’s always with us. Then, there are other people – indie developers and big companies – who make software that can help us work and live better. We get the chance to experience all this and tweak our lifestyles with the aid of apps. And even if some of these people are driven by greed or questionable motives, the end result is that today we can use a phone to be healthier.

And:

I believe that Apple’s interest in health is genuine. With the iPhone, the App Store, and the upcoming Apple Watch, they have created an ecosystem of hardware and software that, beyond productivity and games, can help people live healthier lives. I ran this experiment on myself, and I know this because I’m seeing the results. I’ve almost reached my ideal weight, my physical therapist is happy with my muscle tone, and my MRIs show clear improvement in the area where my femur was reconstructed. I’ve never felt healthier or stronger. I honestly believe that I wouldn’t have been able to find the motivation and tools to reimagine my lifestyle if I didn’t trust my iPhone.

Here’s to a long and healthy life, Federico. Thank you for the inspiration.