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Teen Credits Apple Watch With Saving His Life

CUPERTINO (CBS SF) -- A Massachusetts teen is crediting his Apple Watch with saving his life, and the ordeal has earned him an internship with the tech giant.

High school football player Paul Houle checked his heart rate with the watch after experiencing chest and back pains following a long day of practice in the heat.

"I tested my heart rate, and it was about 145 for about two hours after practice," Houle said.

Houle was diagnosed with a condition called rhabdomyolysis, or rhabdo for short. Rhabdomyolosis can occur when intense exercise causes muscle cells to leak enzymes and protein into the blood. In severe cases, it can lead to kidney failure and even death.

"I was so dehydrated that my muscles started to actually break down and release a protein that is sort of toxic into my blood stream which caused my heart, my liver and my kidneys all to shut down," Houle said.

Word of his Apple Watch usage reached the top man at Apple. "I got a phone call from a California number, and he said 'hello, my name is Tim Cook, CEO of Apple,'" Houle said.

Cook offered Houle a new iPhone, and an internship next summer at Apple.

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