FaceTime

Woman credits FaceTime with saving her life after her sister detected signs of a stroke

Chance Miller | Feb 21 2018 - 9:41 am PT

Just a week after the Apple Watch aided a mother and son who were involved in a car accident, FaceTime is being credited with helping save a woman’s life. As reported by the BBC, a woman was on FaceTime with her sister when she suffered from a stroke…

Opokua Kwapong, a New York resident who lives alone, was on a FaceTime video call with her sister Adumea Sapong, who lives in Manchester, when Sapong noticed that something didn’t seem right.

Sapong observed that her sister’s speech was slurred her speech and her face looked different than normal. She first suggested that Kwapong have a glass of water and take some aspirin, but she was unable to pick up the glass and was struggling to walk.

Sapong explains that Kwapong thought she was “making a fuss,” so she decided to reach out to their other sister, who is a doctor. Interestingly, Sapong says she “conferenced in” the other sister, though FaceTime doesn’t support group calls. Thus, it’s likely that they called her via another device.

“She thought I was making a fuss so I then conferenced in one of my other sisters, who is a doctor, and she could hear her speaking and could also tell that her speech was slurred. We both told her to call for help straightaway.”

Kwapong then hung up and called 911. After hospital scans, she was diagnosed with having a clot on the brain and the stroke has left her paralyzed on her left side.

Ms Kwapong, who works as a food scientist, said: “There is no doubt that FaceTime saved my life. If my sister had not noticed that something was not right, then things could have been so different.

“If it had not been for FaceTime, then we would be having a very different conversation right now,” Sapong added.

FaceTime is designed as very straight-forward video and audio calling feature, but as this story exemplifies, even the basic features can be lifesaving.

These type of stories certainly highlight the benefits of technology and always having connected devices nearby. Last week, a woman highlighted how Apple Watch’s SOS feature helped save her and her nine-month-old son’s life when they were hit by a drunk driver.