‘Silent killer’: 21-year-old dies after intense exercise

News.com.au - 20/03
An athletic young Melbourne man has died at just 21 years old from a dangerous muscle condition caused by high-intensity 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, Mr Sendler died on March 13 – within two weeks of being hospitalised.

“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 mum Sharone Sendler told news.com.au.

“I s...
[Short citation of 8% of the original article]