Allyson Felix: “I hope things will improve. I hope Tori doesn’t die in vain.”

“These are my teammates. We are Olympic champions. Three of us tried to give birth. Two of us experienced near-death complications. One of us died. We have to, and we will do more. Tori’s death cannot and will not be in vain” reads the post that Allyson Felix shared on her Instagram account and which already has thousands of likes and comments.

On May 3, the news of the death of Olympic champion Tori Bowie broke, and until now, little was known about the event. Her teammate Allyson shared a little more information. She did so in Time magazine and the world echoed the news.

As revealed by the autopsy, Tori was in her eighth month of pregnancy and was in labor at the time of her death. It lists breathing difficulties and eclampsia as possible complications.

Complications that are increasingly seen in women. Mostly, women of color. Allyson Felix suffered it. Tianna Bartoletta as well. Two of the Olympic champions can tell their story. Tori can’t.

Many studies have shown that black women in the United States have a higher risk of preeclampsia. This dangerous condition is characterized by high blood pressure that develops during pregnancy and can develop into eclampsia, a rare and serious complication characterized by seizures and the onset of a coma.

In 2018, Allyson Felix underwent an emergency C-section due to severe preeclampsia. She survived. In 2021, Tianna Bartoletta was rushed to the hospital and gave birth to her son, just 26 weeks old. She also survived. Today the two raise their voices and reflect on a serious problem.

“The three of us have had this experience, and one of us didn’t make it,” Tianna said in an interview with Good Morning America. “It’s absolutely not our fault, but it’s our problem. We need to put ourselves in a position to save, educate and defend ourselves.”

Tianna also spoke out on her Instagram account and received numerous messages of support, including that of Allyson.

“It’s heartbreaking. We continue to face a maternity mortality crisis in this country. Black women are at risk. It’s why I won’t stop doing this work. We can’t sit by and continue to watch our loved ones die when many of these complications are preventable. Standing with you T,” Felix wrote.

The reality is that, according to a 2022 report by The Commonwealth Fund, the United States has the highest maternal mortality rate of any developed nation. In addition, according to the CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women. This is mainly due to variations in the quality of medical care a woman receives due to structural racism and prejudice.

In her passage shared in Time magazine, Allyson Felix shares the dream of becoming a mother again, but without looking away from the danger she faces and the fear of losing her life trying to do so: “I would love to have another child. That’s something I know for sure. But will I be here to raise that child? That’s a very real concern. It’s absurd.”

Finally, she referred to Tori Bowie and the teaching that her sad death leaves us: “I hope that things can improve. I hope that Tori, who took the podium in Rio with gold around her neck and sweetness in her soul, won’t die in vain.”