A 20-year-old fitness enthusiast suffered cardiac arrest during a workout after consuming a popular energy drink. She is now fighting for her life in critical condition.
In late November, Jazmin Garza began feeling dizzy and light-headed while finishing weighted deadlifts with her boyfriend, Isaac Ayala. The episode occurred suddenly during their workout session.
After drinking a third of a can of Ghost energy drink, Jazmin sat down to steady herself but suddenly collapsed and began having a seizure. The incident unfolded moments after consuming the caffeinated beverage.
Isaac found Jazmin with no pulse and immediately began performing CPR. Paramedics arrived shortly after and restarted her heart with a defibrillator.
While visiting Iowa from her home in Texas, Jazmin went into cardiac arrest multiple times. At one point, her heart stopped for a full five minutes.
Each cardiac arrest deprived her brain and organs of oxygen, causing severe damage to her kidneys, lungs, and heart. She was placed on life support to help stabilize her condition.
Doctors told Jazmin’s family that it would take a miracle for her to survive and return as the same person they once knew.
Jazmin Garza collapsed at the gym while working out with her boyfriend, and her heart suddenly stopped beating.
Jazmin shared that she hadn’t been to the gym in a while, so she drank a third of an energy drink to boost her workout.
Jazmin Garza collapsed at the gym during a workout with her boyfriend, Isaac Ayala, after drinking a third of an energy drink she had never tried before. Not typically a caffeine consumer, Jazmin said she wanted to boost her performance since it had been a while since she last trained.
“We were in the middle of a single-leg deadlift when I suddenly didn’t feel well,” she said. “I sat down, felt light-headed, and Isaac said I looked really pale. Then I had a seizure—I’d never had one before and didn’t know what was happening.”
Jazmin went into cardiac arrest four times while paramedics worked to revive her. She was later placed on life support at the hospital, including three different systems: ECMO for blood oxygenation, dialysis for kidney support, and another machine to regulate oxygen levels.
“I was very panicked waking up in the hospital and being told my heart had stopped,” she recalled.
Doctors eventually implanted a defibrillator in her chest to monitor and correct irregular heart rhythms, though extensive testing found no clear cause for her cardiac arrests.
Jazmin’s boyfriend performed CPR on her at the gym before she was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment.
The 20-year-old was placed on life-sustaining machines to support her kidneys and lungs during recovery.
After spending two weeks in the hospital, Jazmin made a full recovery and was discharged.
“Every day I got a little better,” she said. “They ran several tests on my heart, and everything came back normal—no signs of issues or a clear cause.”
With no prior symptoms or family history of heart problems, doctors remain unsure what triggered the cardiac arrest. Jazmin suspects the energy drink, combined with a possible undiagnosed heart condition, may have contributed.
“I’ve had palpitations before but always assumed it was just anxiety,” she explained. “I don’t think the energy drink caused it outright, but it may have triggered everything to go wrong.”
Now, she’s steering clear of energy drinks altogether. “You never expect a 20-year-old to go into cardiac arrest—it just doesn’t happen.”
Jazmin attributed her near-death experience to a combination of an undiagnosed heart condition and consuming the energy drink.
It remains unclear whether the Ghost energy drink contributed to Jazmin’s cardiac arrest, and Isaac noted they’re “not sure if this is what caused” the episode.
Ghost is a widely consumed energy drink containing 200mg of caffeine—more than twice the amount in two cups of coffee. It’s marketed in various sweet and sour flavors and includes added ingredients like vitamins, Carnipure carnitine for energy conversion, NeuroFactor for brain function, and Alpha-GPC 50% to support athletic performance. The product is labeled as intended for individuals aged 18 and older.
Though energy drinks can offer a temporary boost, they carry health risks—especially in excess. Overconsumption has been linked to cardiac arrest, depression, insomnia, and even colon cancer. For individuals with heart conditions, the caffeine and stimulants can disrupt heart rhythm and potentially trigger life-threatening arrhythmias.
A UK study involving 1.2 million people also found a link between energy drink consumption in young people and increased rates of poor mental health, anxiety, and depression.
Jazmin underwent extensive testing and had a defibrillator implanted in her chest to monitor and regulate her heart rhythm.
Some health experts warn that excessive energy drink consumption may increase the risk of colon cancer, due to high levels of sugar and taurine—an amino acid that functions as a neurotransmitter in the brain. The high caffeine content can also significantly disrupt sleep patterns.
DailyMail.com reached out to Ghost for comment but received no response.
During Jazmin’s recovery, Isaac wrote: “She had an army of prayers for her, and I know most of you were praying—we’re so grateful and blessed for every single one. Thank God she has now overcome all of it, and I know God will continue to give her the strength to finish this miraculous recovery.”
Despite her progress, the couple now faces overwhelming medical bills and both have lost their jobs due to the time needed for her recovery. They’re raising funds through a GoFundMe to help cover medical expenses and return home to Texas to be with family.
After surviving the ordeal, Jazmin says she now has a completely renewed outlook on life.
Ghost is a caffeinated energy drink available in a range of sweet and tangy flavors, marketed for energy, focus, and performance.
Consuming excessive energy drinks can lead to serious health risks, including heart complications, increased cancer risk, and mental health issues like depression.
Jazmin reflected on her experience, saying, “Everything just happened at the perfect time for things to go perfectly wrong. I feel like I’ve been given a second chance at life, and now I want to do even better.”
She acknowledged how fortunate she was to have survived: “If this had happened later or if I’d been alone, I might not have made it. Doctors called it a miracle—I was really close to death. I’m so grateful to still be here.”
Her message to others is clear: “Listen to your body. If something feels off, get it checked out—you might prevent something this serious from happening down the road.”
