Tori Bowie‘s cause of death has been confirmed one month after her sudden death was announced.
According to an autopsy report obtained by The New York Times on Tuesday, the 32-year-old track and field star, born Frentorish Bowie, was eight months pregnant and in labor at the time of her death. The report listed respiratory distress and eclampsia as “possible complications” that caused the Olympic gold medalist’s passing. So tragic.
If you don’t know, eclampsia is considered a medical emergency and is a rare condition that causes seizures in pregnant people and can even lead to a coma or death. With timely treatment, the condition is not always fatal. It’s unclear if Tori was aware she was suffering from the diagnosis or not.
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Eclampsia is a more serious form of preeclampsia, which happens when a woman who previously had normal blood pressure develops “high blood pressure and protein in her urine or other problems after 20 weeks of pregnancy,” per the CDC. It is one of the leading causes of maternal death, causing around 15 percent of maternal deaths worldwide. Wow!
Via the Cleveland Clinic, less than three percent of patients with preeclampsia progress to eclampsia. Unfortunately, Black women in the US are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women, per the CDC. Also, a study by Johns Hopkins Medicine in the same year discovered Black women born in the US are at a higher risk for preeclampsia than Black women who have immigrated to the country. So, so unfortunate!
At the time of the athlete’s death, her management company, Icon Management Inc., mourned her loss via Twitter, saying:
“We’re [devastated] to share the very sad news that Tori Bowie has passed away. 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 and friends.”
Tori competed at the Rio Olympics in 2016 and won a gold medal in the 4×100-meter relay, a silver medal in the 100 meters, and a bronze medal in the 200 meters. She was also a two-time NCAA Division I long jump champion in college at the University of Southern Mississippi.
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In early May, ESPN reported the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Orlando, Florida responded to a call for a welfare check at the home of a “woman in her 30s who had not been seen or heard from in several days.” Authorities later identified the individual as Bowie while noting there were “no signs of foul play.” Her obituary listed her date of death as April 23.
Following the news of her cause of death, her agent, Kimberly Holland, told CBS News:
“Unfortunately, so many people, including the media, are making speculations that she did something to herself, which is very hurtful. So hopefully, now knowing the truth, there will be many apologies.”
Oof. We’re so sorry Tori’s family and friends had to deal with this speculation. What a heartbreaking way to lose a loved one. May she rest in peace.
[Image via Sheri Determan/WENN & Olympics/YouTube]
