MILWAUKEE — Ten years ago, Charles Fink's world turned upside down. In college, he was diagnosed with tonic-clonic epilepsy. It is a type of seizure that causes him to lose consciousness and have forceful muscle convulsions.
"It's been a long journey," said Fink.
Fink says his seizures can happen at any moment. Day or night. That's why he relies on his Apple Watch, which can tell if he's having a seizure just by monitoring his heart rate.
"If it says, okay 10 minutes ago it was at a resting heart rate and now 10 minutes later it's at a high heart rate, we need to notify you either to become awake or to let someone else know that something is occurring."
That's when he gets notified that he could have a seizure, which is what happened when he was walking to the Milwaukee Public Library near the Washington Park neighborhood Sunday afternoon.
"I felt that trigger, that seizure building up," said Fink. "I immediately lost consciousness."
During the walk, Fink's heart rate quickly went from 93 beats per minute to 148. A neighbor who saw him seizing called 911. But thanks to his iWatch, emergency officials were already on their way.
Over the years, Apple has been adding new features to its iWatch and iPhone including fall and crash detection, which, if triggered, can alert emergency responders as well as family members.
"Last October it was a much different situation where I was able to alert my dad," said Fink.
Thankfully, Fink was able to get the medical attention he needed and is okay.
"I now have that peace of mind wearing an Apple Watch."
A watch that not only tells time but saves lives. To learn how to use the fall detection on your Apple Watch device, visit the company's website.
