The husband of a former Kansas City Chiefs cheerleader who died from a complication following a stillbirth last month has spoken about his loss.
Krystal Anderson, 40, died of sepsis days after giving birth to her daughter, Charlotte Willow, just five months pregnant.
Just a few weeks later, Clayton Anderson recalled the emotion he and she felt when they first learned the news of the pregnancy, after losing a child to stillbirth in 2022.
He remembered his late wife as his “world,” as well as his best friend and the love of his life.
She also criticized the American medical system for alleged neglect of expectant mothers with a history of problematic pregnancies, especially black women of a certain age.
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Krystal Anderson, 40, died of sepsis days after giving birth to her daughter, Charlotte Willow, just five months pregnant. Weeks away, Clayton Anderson (right) recalled the emotion he and she felt when they learned the news of the pregnancy, after losing a child to stillbirth in 2022.
He remembered his late wife as his “world,” as well as his best friend and the love of his life. He also criticized the American medical system for alleged neglect of expectant mothers with histories of problematic pregnancies, especially black women of a certain age.
Appearing on ABC News’ Good Morning America, she recalled how the couple saw the child as a sign that everything would be okay, after their loss a couple of years ago.
“It was like our little sign from him saying, ‘Hey, mom, dad, I’ve got you.’ Don’t worry about it,” she said, referring to the revelation that Krystal was pregnant again and the loss of her first child to death. fetal.
Of his wife, he said as he choked up, “She was my world.” She was my best friend and obviously the love of my life and the mother of our children.
He continued to focus on the state of medical practice in America, apparently implying that his beloved’s death was preventable.
Sepsis is caused by the body’s failed attempt to respond to an infection, and maternal sepsis (the afflictions that arise when the body’s response to an infection causes damage to its own tissues and organs during pregnancy) disproportionately affects women black, like Krystal.
She stated in the meeting held via Zoom: “One of the problems I think I have with the system in general is that Krystal is 40 years old, she is black and we have 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 14 weeks,'” she continued.
‘Every pregnancy is high risk.’
Appearing on ABC News’ Good Morning America, she recalled how the couple saw the child as a sign that everything would be okay, after their loss a couple of years ago.
‘Especially, even more so, when you are a woman of color or older.
“They should be treated like this from the beginning.”
AdventHealth Shawnee, the hospital that treated Krystal in late March, did not offer specific details about the care they provided, due to laws designed to protect privacy.
However, the hospital provided a statement Thursday, when asked for comment by ABC News.
It reportedly said: “Our hearts are pained by this tragic situation.” We, along with the independent providers who provide care at our facilities, strive to provide the best possible care to each patient based on their specific needs and circumstances.
“We extend our prayers and support to the family members and loved ones who are experiencing the devastating loss of previous lives.”
She went on to recall how, on March 16, the couple rushed to the hospital after Krystal started feeling unwell.
Doctors soon discovered the presence of amitotic fluid and were unable to detect any fetal heartbeat that night, confirming that Charlotte was dead.
After the couple grieved the loss of their daughter, Krystal suddenly developed a fever and things got dramatically worse from there.
He recalled how after the couple grieved the loss of their dead second daughter, Krystal suddenly came down with a fever and things got dramatically worse from there. She died days later, but her legacy, her husband said, lives on.
She recalled what the doctors told him and her at the time: “They said, ‘We have to get Charlotte out of there, because you’re [speaking to Krystal] It doesn’t have a very good trend.
“And now it’s about saving you, Mom, not just Charlotte,” he later recalled, before recalling how he and his wife asked doctors to let them hold their daughter one last time.
And then we asked, “Is there any way you can try to get Charlotte out? That way we can hold her, because that means a lot, holding your baby, even if she’s passed away.”
“And they said, ‘They’ll try,'” he recalled.
Krystal then began to develop complications from sepsis, leading to multiple organ failure. She died a few days later.
As a final remembrance, she added that the accomplished entertainer “would want everything to sparkle and shine, and she would want her laughter to spread.”
“So while this is obviously terrible and tragic and, you know, I don’t think she wanted to be the person to champion these causes,” he continued, “if she was going to do it, she was going to do it.” gladly.”
His legacy, he said, lives on.
