A Tribute to Olympian Tori Bowie – She deserved better.

(A Repost from 2023)

Recently I was watching the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest and I was reminded of Frentorish Bowie, or “Tori” Bowie, for short. 

She, a sprinter and long jumper, who competed at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics (2016) and won a silver medal in the 100 meters, a bronze in the 200 meters, and a gold in the 4×100-meter relay, died in May of this year (2023)  at the age of 32 during childbirth.

What makes this loss a tragedy is she nor her unborn infant had to die. Yes, every pregnancy-related death is tragic, especially because medical officials admit more than 80% of pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. are preventable — yes, preventable.

But there was no mention of her in Budapest during the World Athlete Championships or anywhere for that matter; not one tribute. I stumbled across a report of her death in a newspaper article.

After toying with this emotional loss – researching, writing, and putting it down, I committed — we owe her!

Then —another infant death – a known young family member’s baby — their first —the tightness in my chest returns, sadness, and anxiety even, for a multitude of reasons. 

You see, I love the sport of Track and Field. I ran track in High School (HS), making it to regional competitions twice as a sprinter; it was the 100 yard and 200 yard dash back then.

I’m concerned because as a mother of two childbearing age daughters, once again, they (black women) are the “dark horses” in what is supposed to be a happy and joyous event, childbirth.

The CDC reported that Black women suffered nearly 70 deaths for every 100,000 live births in 2021. This number is almost triple the number for white women. Yet, this statistic is nothing new. We seem to be admiring the problem for years while the gap widens. It’s a forgotten disparity.

Medical research says major complications that account for nearly 75% of all maternal deaths are: severe bleeding after childbirth and high blood pressure during pregnancy known as pre-eclampsia and eclampsia, which more black women experience than any other race.

Medical officials and Tori’s autopsy confirmed she died from complications during childbirth that included eclampsia and respiratory distress.  We can surmise there are multiple problems here, none are mutually exclusive.

First, according to medical research, racial disparities and implicit bias within the healthcare system causes negligence, a lack of standardized healthcare, and the resulting stress, anxiety, and declining health that women of color experience.

Racial disparities in healthcare and outcomes in the U.S. have persisted for decades despite continued advancements in medicine.  

Based on my lived experience, I can attest to the above – I’m sure other minority woman can too.

Unfortunately this was a reminder of the death one of my daughter’s high school (HS) friends a few years after graduation during childbirth; her infant perished too.  It affected all of us, deeply.

We “celebrated” her life in their HS auditorium in Maryland. I’ll never forget that day. Parents, siblings, and classmates were devastated her unexpected and preventable loss. So young, like Tori Bowie.

Another issue, this Olympian died alone.  News reports indicate Tori died in Orlando Florida.

Ironically, her hometown is Sandhill, Mississippi. She grew up in Sandhill and moved to Orlando after her Olympic success.  Ironically, the State of Mississippi has the highest mortality rate for black women giving birth there, of all 50 states.

But what’s even more troubling for me, is the question, Where was the father of the infant and Tori’s tribe or family? Notice I wrote “was” because reports indicate Tori was completely alone, in active labor. She was found during a welfare check at her home in Orlando. Her baby crowning.  The autopsy and investigations confirmed Tori died alone during active labor.

One reason why black women face this endeavoring disparity— we are thought to have an inhuman-like ability to tolerate pain; we’re somehow tougher than other women.

When we have medical concerns, questions, and complaints, some medical physicians believed symptoms and/or pain levels are exaggerated.  They see of as over-dramatic about everything. But why? Rhetorical.

I’m willing to share my personal experiences for the ‘sake of education and change. Even my primary physician has delayed referrals to speciality clinics. It happens.

Now the extra kicker — my personal physician is a woman of color, who is not exempt from unconscious biases herself. They guide her interactions and medical treatment of other minority women. She’s NOT alone.

In conclusion, Dr. William Callaghan, Chief of the Center for Disease Control’s Maternal and Infant Health Branch, recently spoke out about this problem at a conference in Atlanta, Georgia, where he said, “It’s not a state-by-state solution to solving the problem of medical disparities. This is a national problem, and we own it. It’s always the elephant in the room in the United States that things are different,” he said. “You’ll find this across every health outcome.”  He was absolutely correct — flashback to the death demographics of COVID casualties. 

Did Tori deserve better? Absolutely. She was fast as lightning. Humble. A beautiful, sun-kissed sister that lit up the track in Rio de Janeiro and medaled every time she step foot on the track.  Rest well American Olympian!

*Pre-eclampsia, a potentially fatal pregnancy condition characterized by high blood pressure, is 60 percent more common in black women than white women, according to the Healthcare Cost Utilization Project (HCUP). Left untreated, pre-eclampsia can lead to complications — even death — for mother and baby. Preeclampsia typically develops after the 20th week of pregnancy.

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“This blog was created with careful research and the assistance of multiple AI platforms to ensure accurate and reliable information. Vr Tena”