'Anyone who is doing this should wake up now': Mum's plea to athletes after teen daughter dies from intense exercise regimen
The mother of a Perth teenager who died while undertaking a gruelling weightloss regime for an amateur Muay Thai fight is pleading with others not to follow suit.
Jessica Lindsay collapsed the day of her weigh-in last month and never woke up. Muay Thai was her passion, and ultimately it led to her death.
"It was one bad weight cut, one bad weight cut that caused this to a very, very healthy 18-year-old," her mother Sharon Lindsay told 7 News.
Jessica was preparing for an amateur fight and had to drop weight, fast. The 18-year-old was put on an intense training regime.
"She was doing the excessive running, training and eating lean," Ms Lindsay said.
In the few days leading up to the fight she was running in a sweat suit, taking salt baths and reducing her water intake. The day before the fight the teenager was still pushing herself.
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She went running, collapsed and never woke up. She was so dehydrated her organs had started shutting down.
Jessica's family had to make the heartbreaking decision to switch off her life support.
"I challenge anyone to go into an ICU to witness what we had to witness for four days straight and then being told to make that horrific decision," Sharon said.
The Combat Sports Commission's guidelines stipulate contestants should not lose more than 4-5 per cent of their body fat and should do so through good nutrition and exercise - not by dehydration.
The chief medical advisor to the Combat Sports Commission says that's not good enough.
Paddy Golden says he's been pushing for change for years, and it's taken the death of a young woman for people to finally take notice.
He wants fighters to have a finger prick test to show if they're dehydrated. If they are, they shouldn't be allowed to compete.
It's a move Sharron is pleading for before someone else dies.
"Anyone who is doing this should wake up now, don't think it can't happen to you, this could be you," she said.
