Jake Sendler, amateur MMA fighter, dead at 21
Jake Sendler, an amateur mixed martial arts fighter and personal trainer who was studying to be a Physical Education teacher, has died at age 21.
Sendler, from Australia, had unknowingly been suffering from a serious condition in which the muscles break down, releasing chemicals into the blood and damaging the organs.
The condition, rhabdomyolysis, is induced by high-intensity exercise. Sendler was rushed to the hospital, placed in intensive care, and after days in an induced coma and going in and out of surgeries, the MMA fighter died on March 13 – within two weeks of being hospitalized.
A GoFundMe set up after his passing states, “While preparing for an upcoming fight, Jake unknowingly pushed through worsening symptoms. He continued training, working, and coaching, unaware that his body was shutting down. Astonishingly, even as his organs were failing, Jake stepped into the ring one final time and fought courageously, demonstrating incredible determination and strength.
“Immediately afterward, his condition rapidly deteriorated, leading to emergency hospitalisation and multi-organ failure—the most severe case of rhabdo his doctors had ever encountered.
“Despite extraordinary medical efforts, including multiple surgeries and blood transfusions, Jake passed away after days of fighting with unmatched bravery.”
