Woman’s Apple Watch helped diagnosis her diabetes after it first detected her heart problem

An Oklahoma woman recently opened up about how her Apple Watch saved her life two years ago after it first detected a heart issue she thought was nothing.

Judith Luebke was alerted by her watch one Thursday evening in January 2021 that she was in A-fib, or atrial fibrillation, a condition caused by extremely fast and irregular beats from the upper chamber of the heart.

Luebke didn’t think much of it because she had an abnormal heart rate dating back to then and believed her current situation could be related to the stress caused by the recent loss of her spouse.

As she was getting ready for her remote job the next day, Luebke thought about seeing a doctor but considered she was busy that day and could hold it off until the next week.

”I talked to my boss that morning.. and said, ‘you know, I’ve got a meeting this morning. Maybe I’ll see the doctor after that, maybe I will, maybe I won’t — maybe I’ll wait the weekend’,” Luebke told KSWO.

Her boss didn’t let her get away with that thought, urging her to see a doctor right away,

“She said ‘you need to go now’,” a demand that ended up saving her as she learned she was diabetic when she visited the hospital later that day.

Judith Luebke says she was alerted by her watch in 2021 that she was in A-fib, but didn’t think much of it attributing it to stress.KSWO
Apple Watches uses green LED lights paired with light‑sensitive photodiodes to detect the amount of blood flowing through your wrist at any given moment, and displays the heart rate on the screen for the user to see.KSWO

Along with the diabetes diagnosis, doctors found she had critically high blood sugars, a combination that could be fatal if not treated immediately.

”If I had waited the weekend, I probably would not have survived,” she said. “That’s what I would’ve done if I’d not gotten the notification on my watch. I just figured with everything going on, I just wasn’t feeling good, and I’ll get to the doctor when I get to the doctor.”

With a clear head following her treatment, Luebke realized the gravity of her situation and concluded her smartwatch saved her life, so she sent an email to Apple CEO Tim Cook, telling her story.

Along with the diabetes diagnosis, doctors found she had critically high blood sugars, a combination that could be fatal if not treated immediately. KSWO
With a clear head following her treatment, Luebke realized the gravity of her situation and concluded her smartwatch saved her life, so she sent an email to Apple CEO Tim Cook, telling her story.KSWO

Cook responded to her the same day, saying he was happy to hear from Luebke and to learn the technology helped save her life, according to the outlet.

Luebke’s daughter, Shannon Bowers was also thankful for the watch, as it saved her mother’s life.

”I don’t know what I would do without her.. If it hadn’t been for the watch, and if it hadn’t have been for the people in her life — her boss and her other coworkers — telling her ‘no, you need to go in’, and her listening, she wouldn’t be here,” Bowers said.

Luebke says she isn’t going anywhere without her watch and the technology that saved her life.KSWO

Luebke added her watch will now always be on her wrist.

”I will never go without a smart watch again.. it truly saved my life.”