July 11 was supposed to be a day of fun and adventure for 17-year-old Smit Metha as he ventured on a trek in Lonavla with a group of friends. However, it ended up being quite an ordeal that saw him suffer two broken ankles, Apple Watch saving his life, months of rehabilitation and getting an email from Apple CEO Tim Cook.
Metha, who hails from Raigad, but lives in Pune as he is preparing for NEET examination for medical colleges. Along with three of his friends, Metha decided to head to Lonavla for a trek on a rather rainy day, which makes the trek even more scenic and adventurous. All was well till Metha and his friends were on their way back and he slipped about 130-150 feet into the valley. With no phone — as it was in a friend’s backpack — Metha fell down hard and was saved by a tree and a stone. He broke his ankles and was lying in agony when he realised his iPhone 13 wasn’t with him.
However, he was wearing his Apple Watch Series 7. “Soon, I saw that I was getting signal on the Watch and immediately called my parents and friends.” This happened around 3pm and it took two hours for first-aid to reach him. His friends — and a few good samaritans who were on the trek — managed to bring him up with great difficulty. “I weighed 99 kgs at the time of the fall and I am over 6 feet tall, so it wasn’t easy at all.” Incidentally, Metha’s was the seventh accident on that trekking route on the same day.

Once he came up, he sent the location to his parents and was shifted to a hospital in Lonavla. However, delayed medical attention meant that the wound had got infected and he was shifted to Pune, where he underwent surgery on July 16. Things didn’t go as per plan as certain complications meant he had to shift to Mumbai and was finally discharged from the hospital August 7. “I had to go through a prolonged period of rehabilitation as I couldn’t shift weight on my legs and was wheelchair bound for a while,” Metha told The Times of India-Gadgets Now in a telephonic chat. He is feeling better but not 100% as he still uses a walking stick.

Apple CEO Tim Cook replied to Metha’s email

Metha had seen and read stories of people across the world who were thankful to the Apple Watch as it saved their life. “My Apple Watch came to my rescue as I was able to make those important phone calls,” he says. He decided to write to Apple CEO Tim Cook and narrated his story in an email. Much to his surprise Cook replied to his email and wrote,

“Smit,

I’m so glad you are on the road to recovery. It sounds like a terrible accident. Thanks so much for sharing your story with us.

I wish you a full and speedy recovery.

Best,

Tim

Metha is into basketball and other fitness activities as well, which is what prompted him to buy the Apple Watch Series. “I think I am God’s favourite child as I was really lucky to survive the fall,” he says with a sense of gratitude.