Woman Credits FaceTime Call with Saving Her Life During a Stroke

A New York woman is crediting FaceTime with helping to save her life after she suffered a stroke during a video call on Apple’s proprietary service.

Opokua Kwapong, a food scientist who lives alone in New York City, says she was on a FaceTime call with her sister in Manchester, England. Kwapong’s sister, Adumea Sapong, said she noticed that her older sibling “didn’t look right” and began to slur her speech, the BBC reported.

Kwapong, 58, said she had just awoken from a nap when her sister gave her a FaceTime call. At the time, Kwapong said she did not realize how dire the situation was.

“My sister looked at me and said she could see that my face didn’t look right,” Kwapong told the BBC. “She also said that I was slurring my words, but I thought she was just fussing and I didn’t believe her.”

Sapong first advised that her sister take some aspirin with a glass of water. But when Kwapong struggled to pick up the glass or even walk, Sapong said she knew the incident was serious.

“Then I noticed on the FaceTime video call that her face was drooping. I told her she needed to hang up and immediately see a doctor,” Sapong said, adding that she conferenced in another of her sisters — who happened to be a doctor and also recommended immediate emergency assistance.

Kwapong finally agreed, hung up and dialed 911. Following a series of scans at the hospital, Kwapong was diagnosed with a brain clot. The stroke left her paralyzed on her left side, according to the BBC.

“There is no doubt that FaceTime saved my life,” Kwapong told the British publication. She added that, since the incident, she has come to rely on the video calling technology to conference for work since she is not able to travel as much.

“You hear a lot of negative stories about the internet and technology, but I think this is an example of how technology can be a force for good,” Kwapong said.

This isn’t the first time that someone has attributed an Apple product with helping to save their life.

In October, a Brooklyn man tweeted that his Apple Watch saved his life when it alerted him to a spike in his heart rate, which prompted him to call his doctor. The man later found out that he had a dangerous condition called a pulmonary embolism.

Last April, another man said his Apple Watch allowed him to quickly call emergency services after a car crash left him suspended by his seatbelt.

And just a week ago, a Pennsylvania mother said her Apple Watch’s SOS feature helped save her and her 9-month-old baby after a drunk driver struck the vehicle they were in, according to Shape.

from iDrop News http://ift.tt/2EJU7Ep
via IFTTT