MMA fighter dead at 21 following intense exercise

An athletic young Melbourne man has died at just 21 years old from a dangerous muscle condition caused by high-intensity exercise.Jake Sendler, an amateur MMA fighter and personal trainer who was studying to be a PE teacher, didn’t know he had rhabdomyolysis until it was so severe that he was suddenly rushed to hospital, placed in intensive care and his family were told to say goodbye as doctors did not know if they would be able to save him.He fought, but tragically, the doctors were right.After days in an induced coma and going in and out of surgeries, Jake died on March 13 – within two weeks of being hospitalized.“When we got into the ICU, the doctor said when they opened him up again (in another emergency surgery) there was just too much tissue that had died and there was so much damage, there was nothing more they could do,” Jake’s mom Sharone Sendler told news.com.au.“I said to him, ‘it’s OK baby, you can rest now, you fought so hard’ and I kissed him on the forehead and he passed away.It was the worst moment of my life.”The athlete’s mother is determined to raise awareness about the “silent killer” that took her boy to ensure other families “never ever go through pain we felt”.Rhabdomyolysis, also called “rhabdo”, is a breakdown of muscle tissue, which releases a toxin into the bloodstream and can cause kidney failure.It can also cause serious problems with the heart and other organs.Symptoms include muscle pain, exhaustion and dark urine.For the 21-year-old, muscle soreness did not raise any alarms as he was extremely active and training intensely for an amateur MMA fight.When he noticed tea-colored urine, he upped his fluids, assuming he was dehydrated.He was known to be extremely healthy, only eating organic foods.In a video the day before his fight on March 2 he said he was feeling “amazing”.“Feeling really good, excited, pumped,” he said.He was cleared medically to fight and lasted the full three rounds not know...