Her mother claims racism was the main cause of my pregnant daughter’s death | UK News

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Nicole Thea, a YouTube influencer, died three years ago when she was eight months pregnant from an underlying heart muscle disease, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), which ran in her family – she had previously raised concerns about her health but her mother claims it She was. eviction.

By Shaman Freeman Powell, News Correspondent @Shamaan_SkyNews

Tuesday 11 July 2023 07:35, United Kingdom

The mother of a dancer and influencer who died while she was eight months pregnant believes her daughter’s concerns were not taken seriously because of her race.

Nicole Thea died in July 2020 of an underlying heart condition – hypertrophic cardiomyopathy – a condition from which her paternal grandmother died in 1986. Her son, Ren, also died.

She had previously complained to midwives of shortness of breath and spoke in YouTube videos to her hundreds of thousands of followers that she felt her baby “eating her from the inside out”.

Samantha Antoine said her daughter’s death could have been avoided if she had been referred to a counsellor.

She told Sky News: “I also think that because Nicole is a woman of colour, she fails on that front because she is not taken seriously.

“Reign will never be able to ride a bike, I will never be able to pick him up from school, or take him swimming.

“One of the saddest things is that Nicole won’t be able to see Ren and it bothers me. She was so excited to see him.”

Photo: Nicole died in July 2020 of an underlying heart condition, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

According to the latest data from a report from Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Confidential Audits and Inquiries (MBRRACE-UK), black and minority ethnic women can be around five to six times more likely to die in childbirth.

Not only are mothers from ethnically diverse backgrounds more likely to have higher rates of morbidity.

In 2021, children of the black ethnic group continued to have the highest death rates, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Dr. Anil Malhotra, Consultant Cardiologist, has tested some family members for hereditary hypertrophic cardiomyopathy more often than not.

It’s always important to treat the symptoms, he says — and “a baseline EGC, the electrical tracing of the heart, detects hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in about 90% of cases.”

It’s prevalent in all ethnic groups, he says, but it can be difficult to identify black and minority ethnic patients, which he thinks is related to a lack of research.

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“Every maternal death is a tragedy” – MP

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “We are absolutely clear that we must ensure maternity care is of the same high standard for everyone.

“We established the Maternity Disparities Task Force that brings together experts from across the health system, government departments and the voluntary sector to explore and consider evidence-based interventions to address maternal disparities.”

But Caroline Knox, the Conservative MP and chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, says the government has fallen short of the target.

“Every maternal death is a tragedy,” she said, adding, “Her heart goes out to Samantha.”

“I think it’s so important for all women, especially blacks and other small minority communities, to be heard when they’re pregnant. They know their bodies better.”

She said she was disappointed that there was “no specific strategy or goal around black maternal deaths” – adding that cases like Nicole’s “highlight how important it is that we make sure women listen that their health concerns are addressed”.

Samantha believes that the statistics highlighting differences between other women of color are evidence of broader societal issues.

The family wants accountability, but until that happens, they’ve taken it amongst themselves to do something about it.

“I still feel like I did the day she died — the first thing I think of in the morning is Nicole and Ren. When I go to sleep, it’s Nicole and Ren,” she said.

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The Foundation will keep Nicole’s name alive

Nicole’s partner and father Reign, Global Boga, is creating the Nicole Thea Reign Foundation to help support moms.

“It’s been three years,” he said, “but I haven’t lived. I only began to feel like myself again when I created the Foundation to honor her and my son.”

“I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.”

“Nicole literally made my life. All she wanted was to be a mother, and I could see that, so I wanted to be a father to her kids.”

He hopes the foundation, which will be set up to celebrate Nicole’s birthday on July 29, will go a long way to keeping her name alive, as well as helping others.

He said, “We have lost a great queen, but she is not gone forever. She is in us, she is in our spirit.”

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