Longtime Kansas City Chiefs cheerleader Krystal Anderson dies after giving birth

On March 27, 2024 at 3:44pm Eastern Daylight Time, a report was released by CBS News.

A specialist from Harvard University has expressed their knowledge on the topic of maternal deaths in the United States.

A woman who cheered for the Kansas City Chiefs for many years and strongly cared about women's wellness passed away following the delivery of her child.

Krystal Lakeshia Anderson passed away soon after delivering her baby girl, Charlotte Willow, who unfortunately did not survive, as reported in her obituary.

An online fundraiser was created to support Anderson with her healthcare expenses, funeral arrangements, and to establish a fund in memory of her. Anderson, who was 40 years old, was diagnosed with sepsis while she was pregnant. Apparently, during her 21st week, Anderson went to the hospital seeking medical attention. She delivered her daughter but unfortunately, Anderson's body began to fail and she was put on life support. Despite three surgeries, the cause of the infection could not be found, as stated in the online fundraiser. Anderson passed away on March 20th.

According to the obituary, Clayton William Anderson, the parents of Anderson, and several other relatives are left behind after Anderson's passing. However, Anderson's infant son, James Charles, passed away before her.

According to a post shared on social media by the cheerleading team, Anderson was a supporter of the Chiefs during two separate periods: from 2006 to 2011 and then again from 2013 to 2016. The team revealed that she was present at the 2015 Pro Bowl and made trips to visit soldiers in the United States, Iraq, and Kuwait. Even after her time as a cheerleader was over, Anderson continued to be involved with the team as an alumni member.

On their social media, the team expressed that their teammate was greatly admired and cherished by her fellow players, supporters, and individuals who quickly became her acquaintances.

According to the obituary, Anderson was previously employed as a software engineer at Oracle Health. During her time there, she made noteworthy enhancements to the healthcare sector. She was credited with inventing software that evaluates the probability of postpartum hemorrhage and holds a patent for this innovation. Anderson was also an advocate for women's health and Black women in STEM.

According to Anderson's obituary, she exuded happiness and humor and had a strong dedication to charitable causes.

Mayo Clinic states that sepsis is a medical condition that happens when the body doesn't react effectively to an infection and the organs don't function properly. According to the University of New Mexico Health, maternal sepsis is the second most common cause of deaths related to pregnancy. UNM Health reports that the chances of acquiring sepsis can be intensified by circumstances such as lengthy labor, giving birth through C-section, and being in contact with an individual who has an infection.

Over the past twenty years, the number of deaths during childbirth of mothers in the United States has increased by over 100%.

According to a previous report by CBS News, Black mothers face the greatest danger of passing away during childbirth. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report in 2020 that discovered the maternal mortality rate for non-Hispanic Black women in the United States was 55.3 fatalities per 100,000 live births. This is about 2.9 times the rate among non-Hispanic White women.

According to Dr. Henning Tiemeier, who heads up the Maternal Health Task Force at Harvard, the significant problem of Black women experiencing a high mortality rate during childbirth remains one of the most substantial public health challenges.

Tiemeier, in a discussion on "Face the Nation" in 2022, stated that the presented issue is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the adverse health of women, particularly Black women. Tiemeier acknowledged a multitude of reasons for this, ranging from lack of access to proper healthcare, discrimination, and poverty faced by this marginalized group.

Tori Bowie, who was an Olympic champion sprinter, passed away due to childbirth complications when she was 32 years old in May 2023.

Caitlin O'Kane works as a senior manager of content and production on the social media team of CBS News in New York. She covers a wide range of subjects and creates "The Uplift," a streaming program that highlights positive news, for CBS News.