An autopsy report obtained by USA Today Sports shows that Tori Bowie died of complications during childbirth last May.
The 32-year-old Olympian was found dead in her home in Orlando, Florida after her family requested a well-fare check. They had not heard from Bowie in several days, which led to the check at her home. Later it was revealed that the athlete passed away and was also eight months pregnant.
Her sudden death is believed to have been caused by respiratory distress and eclampsia, which are rare pregnancy complications. During pregnancy, respiratory distress and eclampsia can cause a sudden spike in blood pressure and cause seizures. Her family may also not have known about her pregnancy, according to reports.
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Her management team, Icon Management released a statement on her death stating “We’ve lost a client, dear friend, daughter, and sister. Tori was a champion…a beacon of light that shined so bright! We’re truly heartbroken and our prayers are with the family, friends, and everyone that loved her.”
Other athletes expressed their condolences including track star Sha’Carri Richardson, who said in an Instagram post “People never know what you’re going through, Rise up Queen, you deserve peace.”
While the sports world continues to mourn her death, it has opened the conversation around the Black maternal mortality rate. According to the CDC, “Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than White women. Multiple factors contribute to these disparities, such as variation in quality healthcare, underlying chronic conditions, structural racism, and implicit bias.”
Due to racial biases within the healthcare field, the Black maternal mortality rate has risen over the past few years, causing many Black pregnant women to consider alternative childbirth options.
Black athletes recently have expressed the racial bias that exists at all levels for pregnant Black women, including Serena Williams and Allyson Felix, who both experienced near-death childbirths.
In an essay for Glamour, Felix, who was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia, talked about her horrific childbirth experience in a 2019 Senate hearing on Maternal Mortality Crisis.
She stated in her testimony, “We need to provide women of color with more support during their pregnancies… There’s a level of racial bias within our health care system that is troubling and will be difficult to tackle, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t.”
Although this issue continues to be a systematic problem, tragedies like Bowie's death have sparked this conversation once again.
In a tweet from BET, it states “Black women die at exceedingly higher rates due to pregnancy-related complications. We face a much higher risk of maternal death due to various reasons including chronic stress and implicit bias from health care providers. There is so much work to be done to properly protect and advocate for Black women's health.”
While this conversation continues, the best advice healthcare professionals can provide to potential and expecting mothers is to keep track of any unexpected changes and learn more about dangerous maternal warning signs. However, the healthcare industry is still responsible for changes.
