These Bodybuilders And Fighters Almost Died While Training

Meegan’s Body Couldn’t Process Protein

Meegan Hefford had been competing in bodybuilder competitions since 2014, and she always ramped up her gym routine in the weeks prior. In April 2017, the paramedic trainee and bodybuilding mom put herself on a restrictive, protein-packed diet to prepare for a competition in September. In May, she was found unconscious in her West Australian apartment. She was rushed to the hospital where she was declared brain-dead and died two days later.

After her death, doctors discovered that Meegan had urea cycle disorder, a rare disorder that prevents the body from breaking down protein. Her cause of death was ruled as an “intake of bodybuilding supplements” and urea cycle disorder.