On March 20, Krystal Anderson, a former cheerleader for the Kansas City Chiefs, died at 40. Three days prior, she had given birth to a daughter who was stillborn. Shortly after birth, Krystal spiked a fever and was discovered to be septic. She died as a result, even after three corrective surgeries. Now, weeks after her death, her husband, Clayton Anderson, is asking the tough questions about his wife's preventable death.
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After Krystal's death was announced, the Chiefs Cheerleaders released a statement on Instagram, sharing that she cheered for over 100 games during her time as a cheerleader. She also represented the team at the Pro Bowl and visited troops all over the world.
"We will miss her kind spirit, joyful energy, and her sparkle. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and loved ones. We will cherish every moment we had with her," they wrote.
Anderson's husband, Clayton Anderson, spoke with ABC News about his wife's death and shed more light on her medical situation. Krystal had experienced a stillbirth in 2022, and so the couple was cautious, especially given her age. She had a procedure to remove uterine fibroids in February 2023 to help reduce the risk of pregnancy loss. Later that year, in November, they found out Krystal was pregnant again.
"One of the issues that I guess I have with the system overall is Krystal is 40, and she's Black, and we'd had a loss before, but even then they say, you know, you can't start a plan with maternal fetal medicine or the high-risk maternity doctors until you get to week 14," Clayton said.
Clayton explained that his wife had a cerclage procedure to ensure that her cervix would remain viable for the rest of her pregnancy, and she had her next visit at 20 weeks. They were determined to get Krystal to 22 weeks to give the baby a better chance at survival. So at 20 weeks she was placed on semi bed rest. Unfortunately, six days later, she was at the hospital with back pains. By that night, they could no longer find a heartbeat. After delivering their child, a daughter they named Charlotte, Krystal spiked a fever and showed signs of sepsis.
Sepsis is what happens when the body responds poorly to an infection, and can result in organ failure, according to the Mayo Clinic. Clayton explained that his wife went into surgery and came back on a ventilator and a dialysis machine with kidney, liver, and lung failure. After two more surgeries, she died of sepsis-related cardiac arrest.
Maternal sepsis is more common after a stillbirth and disproportionately affects Black women like Krystal. Black maternal mortality rates are already significantly higher, with Black women being nearly three times more likely to die during childbirth than white women, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
"All pregnancy is high risk, especially, moreso, when you're a woman of color or you're older, and they should be treated that way from the start," Clayton told ABC News. He also expressed frustration at the length of time between visits, especially given his wife's circumstances. "Expecting somebody who's had a loss to go four weeks in between seeing their care providers… That's the same protocol that's done for a 23-year-old that's very healthy," he said. "It can't be a one-size-fits-all."
After her cheerleading career ended, Krystal began working in STEM, more specifically healthcare tech. She had been part of a team that received a patent for technology used to find risks in postpartum hemorrhaging. Her husband hopes that her story helps more Black women find STEM jobs and that the conversation about stillbirth and Black maternal mortality moves forward.
