From Trauma to Triumph: Ellen Rucker Sellers Champions Change for Black Maternal Health

The birth of healthy twins should have been a crowning moment for Ellen Rucker Sellers. Hours after delivering her son and daughter via C-section, as she cradled the newborns in her hospital bed, her joy turned to panic.

“I told my husband I was getting hot,” recalls Ellen, CEO and co-founder of haircare brand Rucker Roots. “Then I passed out while nursing the babies.”

What followed was a fight for her life that would later transform her into a powerful voice for Black maternal health. Her husband, CNN contributor and civil rights attorney Bakari Sellers, frantically called for help.

"The next thing I remember was him outside my room screaming, 'Will someone come help my wife?!" she recalls.

Ellen was hemorrhaging severely. Due to complications including a fibroid, blood was pooling inside her uterus instead of being expelled.

"I had lost so much blood that a transfusion was necessary to save my life," she explains.

Seven units of blood and six units of platelets from donors ultimately made the difference between life and death. In that critical moment, the mother of three could only think about her family.

"I told my doctors that I must live for my twins, my 13-year-old daughter Kai, my husband and myself – I have so much more work to do!"

Ellen survived, but many mothers do not. And her harrowing incident is far from isolated.

THE MATERNAL HEALTH GAP Ellen's experience highlights a major crisis in American healthcare. While maternal mortality has declined for women who are white, Latina, and Asian American, women who are Black face a maternal mortality rate over three times that of their white counterparts – with approximately 50 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2023, according to the CDC.

While over 80% of pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. are preventable, postpartum hemorrhaging—which Ellen experienced—remains the leading cause of death following the birth of a baby and occurs more often with cesarean births.

"My life was saved because my doctors took my circumstances seriously," says Ellen. “I feel it is important for existing health care systems to care for all patients the same, no matter what their differences are."

IT'S GIVING LIFE While multiple factors — such as bias in health care settings, lack of convenient access, and underlying chronic health conditions — can contribute to disparities in maternal health, blood and platelet donations play a crucial role in emergency response. By ensuring these critical resources are readily available, donors can help save the lives of women experiencing complications, particularly in communities affected the most.

During National Minority Health Month, the American Red Cross recognizes Black Maternal Health Week (April 11-17) to raise awareness about maternal health and how blood and platelet transfusions can save the lives of mothers in crisis.

Type O blood – which can be given to almost any patient in an emergency – is especially vital. Notably, 57% of Latinos and 51% of African Americans have type O blood (positive or negative), making these communities essential for helping mothers experiencing complications like Ellen's.

Many lifesaving medical treatments for patients require platelet transfusions, tiny cells in blood that form clots and stop internal bleeding.

RECLAIMING HEALTH AND WELLNESS Ellen's medical emergency is not the only health crisis the Sellers family has faced. Shortly after birth, her daughter Sadie was diagnosed with a rare liver disease called biliary atresia and received a liver transplant.

"I approach motherhood with flexibility," says Ellen, who balances her CEO responsibilities with being a wife and mother to twins Sadie and Stokely, now 6, and Kai, 19.

“For Sadie [I admire] her strength and resilience. As a liver transplant recipient, she has to do blood draws several times a year and handles it like a champ! For Stokely, I admire his kindness and empathy. He sees what his sister goes through, and he holds her hand and always tells her she is so strong and beautiful. For Kai, I admire her ability to thrive even when circumstances aren’t perfect…She is a straight-A pre-med student at Howard University.”

Ellen also carves out time for self-care through yoga, spa visits, and by simply enjoying “a great cup of tea in complete silence in the mornings." Music also helps her unwind, with Beyoncé and Frank Ocean topping her playlist.

ROOTED IN ADVOCACY Ellen continues to channel her experiences into advocacy for Black maternal health and blood donations with the Red Cross, while also serving as a board member for the American Liver Foundation and Planned Parenthood, focusing on health equity initiatives.

"These health disparities affect women across all social and economic backgrounds," she shares. "We need more healthcare providers who represent the communities most affected."

Her advice to other women is simple: "Advocate for yourself. Whether it is the doctor you choose when you become pregnant, or the tribe you have around you when you go through labor and delivery, all of these choices can be lifesaving decisions."

A LIFESAVING TRIBE During National Minority Health Month and Black Maternal Health Week, be a part of someone’s lifesaving tribe. A blood or platelet donation can be the difference between life and death for a mother in crisis. Use the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org/OurBlood or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to schedule an appointment to give blood, platelets or plasma. In the words of Ellen, when you donate “you will be someone’s hero”.

Those who come to give blood April 1-13 will get a $15 Amazon.com Gift Card by email. Those who come to give blood April 14-30 will get an exclusive Red Cross T-shirt, while supplies last. PLUS, those who come to give blood April 1-30 will get a chance to win a $5,000 prize! There will be three lucky winners. Terms apply: rcblood.org/hope.