How the Apple Watch Detected a Rare Cancer Early, Saving a Woman’s Life

Amanda Faulkner, a consultant psychiatrist based in Napier, New Zealand, upgraded to the Apple Watch Series 10 last year. The Apple Watch's Vitals app alerted her multiple times about an elevated resting heart rate, which initially she thought was due to a faulty device. Concerned by the persistent alerts, she visited her doctor and was eventually diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia, a rare type of blood cancer. Doctors emphasized that if she had delayed her visit by just a few days, her condition could have been fatal. Amanda is currently undergoing chemotherapy at Palmerston North Hospital and is scheduled for a stem cell transplant in July to replace her bone marrow. The procedure carries a 20% mortality risk, but both Amanda and her husband credit the Apple Watch for potentially saving her life.