Remembering Tracey Bowen
We are deeply saddened at the sudden passing of Tracey Bowen, a cherished member of our community. A few months ago, the following article was written to highlight Tracey's involvement with Catalyst Miami and the work she was doing on behalf of all Miami. We share her words and experience now to honor her life and many contributions to all who knew her.
When Tracey Bowen began learning with Catalyst Miami, she was at a turning point.
“I’ve had to pivot and do a lot of transition in my life. In February of 2023, I became a below-the-knee amputee. That’s what brought me back to Catalyst,” Bowen said.
After completing the LIGHT program with Catalyst, a program dedicated to education about healthcare equity, Tracey joined the small business cohort, pursuing her goal of expanding accessibility for herself and others.
Bowen dreamed of founding an accessibility consulting firm dedicated to providing others with the framework she pursued in her early days following amputation. Navigating today’s healthcare system as a Black woman motivated her to continue her advocacy efforts.
As a participant of the LIGHT program, Tracey delved deep with fellow community members and the program facilitators regarding this systemic issue. Black people have higher uninsured rates, are more likely to go without care due to cost, and have shorter life expectancies compared to White people — among other disparities.
Tracey knew this reality was more than just a statistic, she experienced this inequity personally and used it to inform her advocacy work. She described it vividly in the following Letter to the Editor submitted to the Miami Herald in 2025.
“Despite doing everything society deems 'right' — working hard in a fulfilling career, saving for retirement, and helping others — I find myself ensnared in a web of health-related crises that has wreaked havoc on my life, dignity, and my self-worth.
As an academic advisor for over 20 years, I enjoyed supporting youth. However, after my father’s passing and struggling with mental health, I faced challenges that led to losing my job.
My physical health deteriorated when a County facility failed to treat my elevated blood sugar or do a physical examination. Being uninsured resulted in a wound becoming a serious infection and my foot being amputated. I have watched my credit score plummet, my car repossessed, my house face foreclosure, fearing large, looming debt.
I am not alone.
A recent Miami Herald article exposed the consequences of Florida’s failure to expand Medicaid — including limb loss, worsening mental health, and that hard-working individuals like me can regain our dignity and the ability to thrive. preventable untimely deaths. 40% of those impacted will be children.
There are many hard-working people who will suffer unnecessarily. I urge our lawmakers to take action. Expand Medicaid rather than cut it.”
“My most memorable experience with Catalyst was when we traveled to Tallahassee and just the support I received,” Tracey said, “I learned the tools to advocate for myself and just step up and ask for what I needed, and have been overwhelmed by the willingness for people to share and to help”.
Tracey noted that Catalyst’s training encouraged her to advocate for herself in many spaces. With these tools for the future, she hopes to become a PAIRS essential facilitator, a professional coordinator for healthy relationships and communication.
“I have some good foundational support at the national level through the amputee coalition and some other orgs, so hopefully being able to get into that and then also be a voice from the legislative standpoint,” Tracey said, “I think Catalyst Miami was very influential in helping me to become my own catalyst to get things started.”
