A 70-year-old Florida man credits Apple's virtual assistant Siri for saving his life after suffering a severe stroke that left him incapacitated for two days.
Daniel Vallaire of Fort Lauderdale collapsed in his bathroom just days before his 70th birthday. Unable to stand or reach a phone, he spent 48 grueling hours crawling inch by inch from his bathroom to his living room while drifting in and out of consciousness.
Severely dehydrated and with his strength depleting, Vallaire remembered he could use voice commands to activate Siri on his iPhone. "I said, 'Siri, call Victoria Vallaire,' and she did," he recalled, referring to his daughter who had moved to California just a week prior.
Though Victoria was across the country, she quickly contacted emergency services after receiving her father's call. First responders arrived at Vallaire's home within 10 minutes.
At the hospital, doctors discovered Vallaire's stroke was caused by an infection in two of his aortic valves. "It's the closest I've ever been to dying," said Vallaire. "If I had a landline, there's no way I would be able to get to it. If I didn't have Siri, I wouldn't be here."
Earlier this month, Vallaire reunited with the medical team that treated him. Now recovered, he urges others to pay close attention to their heart health.
This isn't the first time Apple's voice assistant has helped in emergencies. The hands-free feature has previously aided in saving lives during car accidents and medical emergencies, highlighting how modern technology can provide critical assistance when traditional methods of calling for help are out of reach.