Man shares how his Apple Smartwatch sent him a notification that ended up saving his life

We have developed a love-hate relationship with technology in modern times. All these expensive tech devices can be harmful in many cases, but in this instance, an Apple watch saved a man's life. Steven Luemba, a man who lives in London and works as an interior designer for a leading furniture dealer, purchased an Apple Smartwatch in 2019, per Newsweek. "I had always wanted an Apple Watch," he told the outlet. "Lots of people back then were buying Fitbits and other smartwatches and I wanted to get a sense of how I was doing. I swam once a week and did a spin class, but I was also sitting down at a desk working all day and wasn't sure if I was getting my steps in."

The sudden boom in the digital health market persuaded Luemba to grab his smartwatch. However, he had no idea how this little gadget was about to warn him about an impending health crisis. In 2020, he got a notification alert on his smartwatch that prompted him to seek immediate medical attention. "I was terrified," Luemba recalled. "I was in my late twenties at the time and didn't feel unwell." The watch continued to pop more notifications that night and then he finally consulted a doctor. A series of medical tests determined that he was suffering from atrial fibrillation (Afib), a type of arrhythmia or irregular heartbeat, which could have led to serious consequences.

The doctors informed Luemba that if this condition had gone undiagnosed, then he would have suffered from a stroke, despite him leading a healthy lifestyle. "If my watch didn't pick this up, it could have changed the direction of my life entirely," he admitted. "I'm forever grateful. In the past, I would try to meet everyone's needs whether it was work, friends or family. I was just doing too much," Luemba said, adding that he had started prioritizing himself and taken a step back from his hectic lifestyle to reduce stress. He also underwent surgery to fix the issue and he didn't have to depend on blood thinners and beta blockers for the rest of his life.

Ever since he faced his health scare, he took to TikTok under the username @steven_luemba and started educating people about his condition and health journey. "When your cup is full, you're able to sort of give on to others," he said about his TikTok page. "I was living on a very empty cup for many years, and now I feel very blessed and lucky to know that you know you need balance in your life in order to be the happiest you can be." In one video that reached over 1 million viewers, he detailed his struggle with Afib as well. He summed up his whole journey with the smartwatch notifications, then his diagnosis and his life afterward in a funny fashion. 

People in the comment section of his TikTok video also left their reactions to how the Apple watch proved to be a savior. @elrincondebia commented, "My cardiologist absolutely recommended an Apple watch. I cannot live without it now." @leoleokitty quipped, "My Apple Watch may well have saved my life and it kept alerting me to a high BPM and odd rhythm, and then I started feeling rubbish at work. Hospital tests found that I had a blood clot kicking about in my system. I never leave home without my watch now." @beckyblueeyes added, "Saved my dad’s life this year too! Without it, they wouldn’t have been able to see the patterns! Glad you’re okay."

You can follow Steven Luemba (@steven_luemba) on TikTok for more videos on wellness and lifestyle.