HUTTO, Texas — A Hutto woman is thanking Alexa's emergency contact feature for saving her life.
Jeannie Dubbel uses Alexa for many things. She said it makes life easier as she gets older.
"I'm 69," Dubbel said. "I'll be 70 on June 22."
It's a birthday the mother was close to missing. Almost two weeks ago, Dubbel had a shoulder replacement. After coming home, something went wrong.
"I think I collapsed and I wasn't able to get up," Dubbel said. "I realized I was having a hard time catching my breath, and I didn't have my cellphone with me. I said, 'Alexa, call 911.'"
Using Alexa's emergency contact feature, the device immediately called her daughter, who called 911, saving her life.
"They told me and my daughter when the paramedics got here and got to me, I wasn't breathing. I was blue and I had minutes to live," Dubbel said. "If it hadn't been for Alexa, and if it hadn't been for my daughter, I wouldn't be here today. I just think it's an awesome feature that nobody knows about."
If you are thinking about using Alexa for an emergency contact, know that you have to set it up beforehand, or it won't work. Just simply follow the instructions in the Alexa app.
"I don't know how many times a day there is a senior citizen found dead in their home, and they've maybe been dead for a day or so," Dubbel said. "If they had that capability, I just can't imagine how many lives might be saved."
Alexa didn't only save her life – it changed her outlook.
"I'm so looking forward to turning 70, whereas a few weeks ago, I wasn't," Dubbel said. "I'm looking forward to next football season, too, you know."
Her team is the University of Texas, of course.
Dubbel said it would be a great idea for Amazon to create a program that gives seniors a discount on Amazon Alexa Echos to help with life-threatening situations.