Husband of Kansas City Chiefs cheerleader Krystal Anderson reveals his grief after she died from sepsis following stillbirth of their daughter – the couple’s second lost child

The husband of a former Kansas City Chiefs cheerleader who died from sepsis after delivering her stillbirth daughter has spoken out about his loss and revealed it was the family’s second devastating death after losing another baby in 2022 in the same way. 

Krystal Anderson, 40, died of sepsis days after delivering her daughter, Charlotte Willow, at just five months pregnant on March 20. 

It was already a high risk pregnancy. Four weeks earlier, Krystal underwent a procedure on her cervix and she was due to move in to the hospital two weeks after she died. 

It was the second time the couple lost a baby to stillbirth. In 2022, Krystal delivered a son, James, who had died in the womb. 

Now, her husband Clayton is speaking out against the medical system that he says failed to protect his wife and does not do enough for expectant mothers, particularly black women in their early 40s.  

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Appearing on ABC News’ Good Morning America, he recalled how the couple viewed the child as a sign that all would be well, following their loss a couple years ago.

‘It was like our little sign from him that, ‘Hey, Mom, Dad, I got you. Don’t worry about it,’ he said, referring to the revelation that Krystal was once again pregnant and the loss of their first child to stillbirth,  

Of his wife, he said while choking up: ‘She was my world. She was my best friend and, obviously, the love of my life and mother to our children.’

He went on to pivot to the state of medical practice in America, seemingly insinuating 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 arises when the body’s response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs during pregnancy – disproportionately affects black women, like Krystal. 

He asserted in the sit-down held via Zoom: ‘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,” he continued.

‘All pregnancy is high risk.’

‘Especially, more so, when you’re a woman of color, or you’re older.

‘They should be treated that way from the start.’ 

AdventHealth Shawnee, the hospital that cared for Krystal in late March, did not offer specific details regarding the care they provided, due to laws designed to protect privacy.

The hospital did, however, provide a statement Thursday, when asked by ABC News for comment. 

It reportedly read: ‘Our hearts are hurting in this tragic situation. We along with the independent providers who deliver care in our facilities strive to provide the best possible care to every patient based on their specific needs and circumstances. 

‘We extend our prayers and support to family members and loved ones experiencing the devastating loss of previous life.’

He went on to recall how, on March 16, the couple rushed to the hospital after Krystal began feeling off. 

Doctors soon found the presence of amitotic flued and could not detect a heartbeat from the fetus by that evening, confirming that Charlotte was dead.

After the couple mourned the loss of their daughter, Krystal suddenly developed a fever, and things got dramatically worse from there.

He recalled of what doctors told him and her at the time: ‘They’re like, ‘We have to get Charlotte out of there, because you’re [speaking to Krystal] not trending very well. 

‘And now, it’s about saving you, Mama – not just Charlotte,’ he recalled further, before remembering how he and his wife asked doctors to let them hold their daughter one final time.

‘And so, we asked, like, ‘Is there a way that you can try to get Charlotte out? That way we can hold her, because that means a lot, to hold your baby, even if they’re passed on. 

‘And they said, they’ll try,’ he recalled.

Krystal then started to develop complications from sepsis, which led to multi-organ failure. She passed just away days later.

As one final remembrancer, he added that the accomplished cheerleader  ‘would want everything to shine and sparkle, and she would want her laughter to be spread. 

‘So, while obviously this is terrible and tragic and, you know, I don’t think she wanted to be the person to champion these causes,’ he went on, ‘if she was going to do it, she was going to do it with joy.’

Her legacy, he said, lives on.