Former Kansas City Chiefs cheerleader Krystal Anderson dies age 40 after childbirth

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Krystal Anderson, a former Kansas City Chiefs cheerleader, has died at age 40 resulting from sepsis following a stillbirth.

Anderson, who cheered for greater than 100 video games, handed away on 20 March, the official Chiefs Cheer crew confirmed on Instagram. A GoFundMe web page shared that Anderson was hospitalised at 21 weeks pregnant and delivered her daughter, Charlotte Willow, who was stillborn. She developed a fever in the future after the stillbirth and battled sepsis, which led to organ failure. After she was positioned on life help, Anderson “underwent three surgeries, but the source of infection remained elusive”.

“In the early hours of March 20, surrounded by her devoted family, sweet Krissy passed away,” her GoFundMe web page learn. “As a former NFL cheerleader for the Kansas City Chiefs, Krissy brought her energy and passion to every performance for 10 seasons – she was a dynamic athlete.”

In addition to cheering for the Chiefs from 2006 to 2011 and 2013 to 2016, Anderson was additionally a yoga teacher and a software program engineer who was obsessed with ladies’s well being and Black ladies in STEM fields, her husband Clayton Anderson advised FOX4. “I feel lost,” he mentioned. “There’s a lot of people in this house and it feels empty.”

Sepsis is the physique’s excessive response to an an infection, in keeping with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It arises when the physique’s “normal response to an infection injures and overwhelms its own tissues and organs,” sepsis professional and paediatric intensive care marketing consultant Dr Colin Begg beforehand advised The Independent, resulting in septic shock, multi-organ failure, and dying.

In the United States, a minimum of 1.7 million adults develop sepsis in a single yr alone, the CDC reported. The Sepsis Alliance states that in childbirth, sepsis can happen due to an an infection associated to the being pregnant.

A examine revealed within the Journal of the American Medical Association discovered that maternal deaths within the US have greater than doubled over 20 years, with Black moms dying on the highest charge. Black ladies are additionally 3 times extra more likely to die from a pregnancy-related trigger than white ladies, in keeping with the CDC. There are many elements that contribute to those disparities, equivalent to unequal healthcare, structural racism, and implicit bias in medication.

Taking to Instagram, the official account for the Chiefs Cheer crew shared a heartfelt tribute in honour of Anderson’s legacy. “We are deeply saddened by the recent passing of CC alum Krystal,” they started the publish. “She was loved and adored by her teammates, fans, and strangers who were never strangers for long.”

During her time as a NFL cheerleader, Anderson attended the Pro Bowl because the Chiefs consultant in 2015, served as a captain of her crew, cheered throughout the London recreation, and visited US Army troops all through the nation and abroad. She additionally served in an alumni function throughout cheerleading practices and Chiefs video games.

“We will miss her kind spirit, joyful energy, and her sparkle,” they continued. “Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and loved ones. We will cherish every moment we had with her. At a later date, we will share how we will continue to honour her legacy.”

While working as a software program engineer at Oracle Health, Anderson was awarded for her work in growing software program that assesses the danger of postpartum hemorrhage, her obituary acknowledged. She married her husband Clayton in July 2021 and their first baby, James Charles, additionally died in infancy.

“Krissy is reunited with their babies James Charles and Charlotte Willow,” the GoFundMe web page learn. “God was eager to have her back, even though our hearts weren’t ready. Your generosity and compassion will forever echo the love she shared with us all.”

Anderson’s household and associates have organised the fundraiser to determine Krystal’s Legacy Fund.