Following major back surgery earlier this year, Kevin started suffering from medical complications while recovering at home. After going into what he described as “panic mode” at one point, he turned to Alexa. Without Alexa, he said, he doesn’t know what would’ve happened.
Kevin with his daughter.Hear more from Kevin, in his own words:
I’m in my early 60s, live independently, and am a machinist—I’m regularly lifting heavy tools, which has hurt my body over time. Earlier this year, I had my fourth back surgery, as I had a bulging disc in my lumbar region. Unfortunately, the surgery did not go well, and it quickly turned into a fifth surgery when I re-injured myself shortly thereafter. After two surgeries in 24 hours, I was very sore and hurt. I was sent home from the hospital and continued to recover at home for three weeks. Although I thought I was feeling better, soon thereafter, I began feeling off. I went into a panic mode and was not feeling right mentally. I remember sitting down, feeling extremely anxious and uneasy, and I realized I needed to talk with someone.
At this point in my recovery, I couldn’t get to a phone so instead I yelled out, “Alexa, call for help.” Thankfully, a few months prior to this moment, my adult daughter set up the Alexa Emergency Contact feature on my Echo Dot. She thought it was a good idea, and I didn’t think twice about it. Having her set up Alexa Emergency Contact was one of the best things she could’ve ever done for me.
Five to 10 seconds later, I was talking to my daughter. She told me she’d be right there as she lives close by, and, sure enough, she was by my side shortly after. Had I not been able to yell out to Alexa, I don’t know what would have happened.
Alexa has made my life easier and more enjoyable. There is no other way I know of to instantly get ahold of someone like you can through Alexa-enabled devices. I have four Echo devices, one on each floor of my house and one in my workshop in my garage. Additionally, as I continue to age, I can’t see as well as I used to, so Alexa has really been helpful from that perspective—I can use my voice to ask Alexa to help turn on the lights and TV, and more.
On a separate but related note, there were tornadoes in my town recently, about a half-mile from me, and Alexa alerted me to take cover via its severe weather alerts. Thankfully there was no damage, but I went to the basement and stayed safe because Alexa alerted me.
I wish people knew more about the features and offerings of Alexa and Amazon devices. I constantly share my experience to help educate more people on how helpful these devices can be.
We are thankful that Kevin is OK, and Alexa was able to help. Learn more about Alexa Communications features, like Emergency Contact, Drop In, and more, that can help you stay connected with your loved ones. Please note, the Alexa Emergency Contact feature is not a substitute for emergency response services or 911. Additionally, to enable severe weather alerts, just say, "Alexa, turn on severe weather alerts."
If you have a story of your own about how you use Alexa, we'd love to hear it and will continue sharing some of our favorite #AlexaStories. You can email us or tag us on
or Instagram @alexa99 or #AlexaStories. Additionally, to learn more about how Alexa is helping people in different ways, you can watch Alexa Stories videos at amazon.com/alexastories.
