Krystal Anderson's Husband Shares Lingering Questions Over Former Kansas City Chiefs Cheerleader's Death
Krystal Anderson's loved ones are still searching for closure.
And that includes her husband Clayton Anderson, who is reflecting on the status of healthcare for women, and especially Black women, in the United States after Krystal died March 20 from sepsis following a stillbirth of the couple's daughter, Charlotte. Their first child, James, also died in a stillbirth in 2022.
"One of the issues that I guess I have with the system overall," Clayton said to Good Morning America in an interview published April 11, "is Krystal is 40, and she's Black, and we'd had a loss before. But even then they say you can't start a plan with maternal fetal medicine or the high-risk maternity doctors until you get to week 14."
He added, "All pregnancy is high risk, especially when you're a woman of color, or you're older, and they should be treated that way from the start."
Clayton also expressed frustration over the wait time in between many of Krystal's appointments.
"Expecting somebody who's had a loss to go four weeks in between seeing their care providers," he began, "that's the same protocol that's done for a 23-year-old that's very healthy. It can't be a one-size-fits-all."
AdventHealth Shawnee Mission—the hospital where Krystal received treatment—shared a statement with GMA regarding the former Kansas City Chiefs cheerleader's passing.
"Our hearts are hurting in this tragic situation," the hospital shared. "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 precious life."
And as Clayton reflects on all his wife was as well as her work—which involved working on a healthcare technology team that had been awarded a patent for technology used to find risks in postpartum hemorrhaging—he wants people to remember her light.
"She would want everything to shine and sparkle, and she would want her laughter to be spread," he said. "This is terrible and tragic. And I don't think she wanted to be the person to champion these causes. But if she was going to do it, she was going to do it with joy."
As he put it, "She was my world. My best friend and obviously the love of my life and mother to our children."