Woman’s Coca-Cola ‘habit’ May Have Resulted in Death

The Associated Press has reported that a twenty-eight year old woman is dead after participating in a radio station’s water-drinking contest.

Jennifer Strange was attempting to win a Nintendo Wii video game system in KDND 107.9′s contest called “Hold Your Wee for a Wii.” Participants of the Sacramento radio station’s contest were required to drink large amounts of water without going to the bathroom in order to win.

The AP reported that Jennifer Strange was discovered dead on Friday in her suburban Rancho Cordova home, only hours after taking part in the contest. Assistant Coroner Ed Smith said Saturday that a preliminary investigation revealed evidence “consistent with a water intoxication death.”

One of Jennifer Strange’s co-workers at Radiological Associates of Sacramento told the Associated Press that Strange spoke to one their supervisors after the contest. “She said to one of our supervisors that she was on her way home and her head was hurting her real bad. She was crying and that was the last that anyone heard from her.”

The radio station is owned by Entercom Sacramento. Vice president and marketing manager John Geary told the AP that station personnel were stunned when they received news of Jennifer Strange’s death. “We are awaiting information that will help explain how this tragic event occurred,” he stated.

According to Wikipedia, water intoxication, also known as hyperhydration or water poisoning, “is a potentially fatal disturbance in brain function that results when the normal balance of electrolytes in the body is pushed outside of safe limits by a very rapid intake of water.”

Early on in the contest, contestants were given eight-ounce bottles of water to consume every fifteen minutes. Later, contestants were given even larger bottles to drink.

Fellow contestant James Ybarra of Woodland said of the early stages of the contest, “They were small little half-pint bottles, so we thought it was going to be easy. They told us if you don’t feel like you can do this, don’t put your health at risk.”

After consuming five bottles, Ybarra quit. “My bladder couldn’t handle it anymore,” he said.

Ybarra also had a conversation with Jennifer Strange at the contest. “I was talking to her and she was a nice lady. She was telling me about her family and her three kids and how she was doing it for [her] kids.”

At the time of the AP’s report, it was unknown how much water Jennifer Strange consumed.