Krystal Anderson Dies at 40

(NewsInsights.org) – Most people think of professional cheerleaders as beautiful athletes who live in the limelight of others, cheering from the sidelines. Yet, Krystal “Krissy” Anderson proved that stereotype wrong in so many ways. Sadly, she passed away at only 40 years old on March 20 as a complication of giving birth.

Anderson and her husband, Clayton Anderson, were expecting a baby daughter, Charlotte Willow Anderson. At 21 weeks along, Krystal Anderson sought emergency medical intervention. She and her husband announced the devastating news that she delivered her daughter “at rest” — a stillborn delivery.

Clayton Anderson described how his wife spiked a fever and developed sepsis after the delivery. Doctors performed three surgeries trying to isolate the source of the infection without success. Krystal succumbed to the systemic infection in the early morning hours of March 20, with her family by her side.

Although the public knew Anderson best as a professional cheerleader for the Kansas City Chiefs for 10 seasons, she made significant contributions as a software engineer for Oracle Health (formerly Cerner). She received a patent for her development of software assessing a patient’s risk of developing postpartum hemorrhage.

Anderson attended the University of Richmond, earning her Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science while also participating as a cheerleader for the university football team and as a member of the African Dance group. She was a passionate philanthropist, donating time and resources to causes, including Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Kansas City, the First Hand Foundation, and Gabriella’s Little Library. Friends and family described has as a fierce advocate “for Black women in STEM and women’s health.”

Clayton, her husband of three years, told Fox Affiliate WDAF, “I feel lost. There’s a lot of people in this house, and it feels empty.” ChiefsCheer colleagues set up a GoFundMe donation page to help cover medical and burial expenses for Krystal and Charlotte.

In addition to her grieving husband and their dogs, Sprocket and Louie, Krystal left behind her parents, Bertha and Burnette (BJ) Johnson, her brother, Corey Johnson, and many loving extended family members. She joined her daughter, Charlotte, and her infant son, James Charles, in death.