Katie Donnell, a Florida resident who often drank three energy drinks a day and a caffeine supplement before hitting the gym, has died at the young age of 28 from a heart attack. Her devastated mother, Lori Barranon, 63, has now blamed energy drinks for her sudden death.
As per Ms Barranon, her daughter, who worked as a teacher, would gulp up on energy drinks and caffeine to ensure she had the ‘buzz’ during the workout.
“She thought it’d help her work out and give her more energy. She was working out, working full-time and going to school. I think she got used to the buzz,” Ms Barranon was quoted as saying by the New York Post.
However, on a fateful day in August 2021, as Ms Donnell was hanging out with friends, she suddenly collapsed. As per Ms Barranon, all the friends thought she was having a stroke when actually she was having a heart attack.
“The ambulance got there and couldn’t intubate her. She was without oxygen for too long and it caused brain damage,” she said.
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All efforts from the medical emergency workers were futile despite them continuing to operate on her for three hours. Such was the pre-workout and energy drink addiction of her daughter that Ms Barranon found her car filled with cans when she went to clean it after her death.
“Her boyfriend said she would buy a four-pack [of energy drinks] every two to three days. Not to mention she was drinking a lot of coffee,” said Ms Barranon.
“One of her friends said she’d hardly see Katie without an energy drink in her hands. When I cleaned out her car after she passed it was full of cans, at least three or four in there.”
Although the brand Ms Donnell drank hasn’t been identified, some popular energy drinks in the US may contain up to 200 mg of caffeine per can. Up to 400 mg is considered safe but Ms Donnell was drinking multiple cans for years on stretch.
“If you don’t keep your kids away from this stuff you may be in my situation where your life is ruined. It’s so harmful and deadly, my whole family is affected by this,” the heartbroken mother advised.