Doctors now say 32-year-old Tori Bowie, who won gold in the 2016 Rio Olympics, died due to childbirth. It's a pressing issue in across the country and in Philadelphia, where Black women make up a vast majority of maternal mortality death.
"I get emotional because a lot of Black women are losing their life," said Xiomara Gittens, who is a certified doula and owner of The Purple Purpose, LLC. As a doula, she assists mothers in having healthy and positive birthing experiences.
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"As an advocate. Providing emotional, physical and spiritual support," Gittens said of her services.
But it's not just business. It's a personal cause for her.
"I had a traumatic birth experience myself," said Gittens who identifies as Afro Latina.
It was heartbreaking for her to hear the news of Bowie's death. New autopsy results reveal she died from complications of childbirth.
"The first thing going through my mind is what was going on, who dropped the ball," said Gittens.
On May 2, Bowie was found in bed during a welfare check after no one heard from her in days. When first responders found her in her home, she was dead. Bowie was eight months pregnant, and she had signs of respiratory distress and eclampsia.
"A friend of mine, their friend had eclampsia," said Gittens, "... she ended up passing away."
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"Eclampsia is something that's pretty rare," said Dr. Aasta Mehta, medical officer of women's health at the Philadelphia Department of Health.
She noted that eclampsia can develop when preeclampsia, which is a high blood pressure disorder that develops during pregnancy, isn't caught.
"(Eclampsia) can cause a sudden spike in your blood pressure, and that can cause seizures. Its can cause an embolism in the brain," Mehta said.
Mehta is the director of Philadelphia's Maternal Mortality Review Committee, which works to prevent tragic deaths like Bowie's.
"They happen more than we think they do and they're always so sad. Especially young people who are healthy and shouldn't be dying," she said.
Black women have the highest maternal mortality in the U.S. In Philadelphia, they make up 43% of the births but 73% of pregnancy-related deaths according to the latest available data.
That data also shows that there are 20 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births in the city. That's about 15% higher than the national average.
The Maternal Mortality Review Committee is determined to find solutions.
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"It's one thing to know your data. It's quite another thing to know your data and respond to it," said Mehta.
It's also why Gittens does what she can, seeking to work alongside other healthcare professionals in hopes of helping save lives while bringing life into the world.
"To ultimately reach our goal with is a healthy mom and a healthy baby," said Gittens.
Philadelphia's maternal mortality review committee will release its newest findings by the end of this year.
Gittens offers free group classes at her office in Marlton, New Jersey to help moms and dads-to-be. The link to reserve a spot can be found here.