Tragic Loss: Chiefs Cheerleader Passes Away Following Childbirth

Krystal Anderson, a former Chiefs cheerleader who was passionate about women's health died after giving birth earlier this month.

Tragic Loss: Chiefs Cheerleader Passes Away Following Childbirth
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27 Mar 2024, 10:50 PM
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Tragic Loss of Kansas City Chiefs Cheerleader

Tragic news struck the Kansas City Chiefs community as a dedicated cheerleader, Krystal Lakeshia Anderson, passed away following childbirth.

Anderson tragically lost her life shortly after giving birth to her daughter, Charlotte Willow, who was stillborn, as reported in an obituary.

A GoFundMe campaign was set up to assist with Anderson's medical expenses, memorial services, and to create a "legacy fund." The campaign revealed that Anderson, aged 40, was diagnosed with sepsis while pregnant. Seeking medical care during her 21st week of pregnancy, Anderson's condition deteriorated after giving birth, leading to organ failure and her eventual placement on life support. Despite undergoing three surgeries, the infection source remained unidentified, ultimately resulting in Anderson's passing on March 20.

Anderson is survived by her husband, Clayton William Anderson, her parents, and other relatives, as detailed in the obituary. She was preceded in death by her infant son, James Charles.

Anderson cheered for the Chiefs for the 2006-2011 seasons, and again for the 2013-2016 seasons, the cheerleading team said in a social media post. The squad said that she attended the Pro Bowl in 2015 and visited troops in the U.S., Iraq and Kuwait. Anderson also served the team in an alumni role even after she left the cheerleading team. 

"She was loved and adored by her teammates, fans, and strangers who were never strangers for long," the team said on social media. 

Anderson also worked at Oracle Health as a software engineer, where she made "significant contributions to improving healthcare," according to the obituary. She was awarded a patent for developing software that assesses the risk of postpartum hemorrhage. Anderson also advocated for Black women in STEM and for women's health. 

Anderson's obituary said she "radiated joy and laughter" and described her passion for philanthropy. 

Sepsis is a condition that occurs when the body does not respond to an infection properly and the organs begin to work poorly, according to Mayo Clinic. Maternal sepsis is the second leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths, according to University of New Mexico Health. The odds of developing the condition can be increased by things like prolonged labor, C-section birth, and exposure to someone with an infection, according to UNM Health.

In the last two decades, maternal deaths in the U.S. have more than doubled

Recent findings reveal that Black mothers face the highest risk of mortality during childbirth. A study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2020 unveiled that the maternal mortality rate for non-Hispanic Black women in the U.S. stands at 55.3 deaths per 100,000 live births, which is approximately 2.9 times higher than that of non-Hispanic White women. 

Dr. Henning Tiemeier, who serves as the director of Harvard's Maternal Health Task Force, described the elevated rate of maternal mortality among Black women as "one of the most significant challenges in public health."

"The high mortality rate among Black women is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to women's health and specifically the health of Black women," Tiemeier stated during an interview on "Face the Nation" in 2022. "Various factors contribute to this, ranging from poverty and discrimination to inadequate healthcare for this demographic."

In a tragic incident in May 2023, renowned Olympic sprinter Tori Bowie passed away due to complications from childbirth at the age of 32.