Sara Lee, WWE Wrestler dead at 30; three kids now motherless: Acute sinusitis to blame for sport star's death?

WWE wrestler Sara Lee is no more and her mother Terri Lee announced the death of her daughter in a social media post. "It is with heavy hearts we wanted to share that our Sara Weston has gone to be with Jesus," she wrote. "We are all in shock and arrangements are not complete." Expressing her shock and how the family is yet to prepare to do the funeral rites of the now-deceased pro wrestler, the family has sought time to grieve in private.

The cause or reason for her death has not been announced by the family, but if one goes by the pro-wrestler's post, she was recovering from a rather bad sinus infection when she decided to start gym-ing seriously again.

Just two days ago, Lee had written on her Instagram post: "Celebrating finally being healthy enough to go to the gym 2 days in a row... first ever sinus infection kicked my butt #Saraselfie #gains"

Her fellow WWE wrestler Bull James launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for Cory and their children.

"We're all shocked and saddened by the sudden death of Tough Enough winner Sara Lee," the campaign — which has raised more than $50,000 of its $20,000 goal — read. "As her loving husband, Cory, picks up the pieces and continues to raise their 3 children, the last thing anyone in that position wants to be worried about is money and paying for a funeral and everything else that comes along with it."

Though no official statement has been made on the probable cause of death of Sara Lee, one wonders whether her sinus infection rendered her vulnerable to finally breathe her last when fighting whatever ailment or accident caused her death.

What is a Sinus infection?

A sinus infection (medically called sinusitis or rhinosinusitis) occurs when your nasal cavities become infected, swollen, and inflamed. As a defence mechanism against an irritant like dust, pollen etc., our body secretes body fluids to drown, overwhelm and flush out the foreign body. Sometimes, the response is in excess of the necessary measure and the fluid buildup in the sinuses can cause germs to grow, leading to a sinus infection.

Sinusitis is usually caused by a virus and in some cases, bacteria — or, rarely, fungus — may cause a sinus infection. There are, of course, other conditions such as allergies, nasal polyps, and tooth infections that may flood your sinus or cause pain and cough-cold-flu like symptoms.

The infectious bacteria that infiltrate our sinuses can — VERY RARELY — make its way to the brain, writes Popular Science editor Claire Maldarelli. She warns that if one has an upper respiratory infection that has lasted way longer than it should (over 2 weeks) or if one has a severe headache or swelling in the face, One must immediately see an ENT specialist and in fact attend an Emergency OPD for assessment. Citing the case of a Michigan teen succumbing to a similar infection where the bacteria had managed to evade and cross the protective blood-brain barrier and cause meningitis, she states that though the likelihood of succumbing to such an infection is low, such news is an important reminder that doctors and patients alike should pay close attention to the symptoms of a prolonged infection.

If you are in the habit of popping antibiotics every time that you have a cough or cold, or are in the habit of demanding antibiotics a few days into a cold or flu -- you are inviting trouble. This is a big mistake as you may then develop antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria or viruses, but it is also a big mistake to ignore painful sinus congestion that lasts for weeks at a time.