Former Kansas City Chiefs Cheerleader Dies of Sepsis After Stillbirth

[ecstatic]

Krystal Anderson, a former cheerleader for the Kansas City Chiefs, died of sepsis last week following a stillbirth, according to her family. She was 40 years old.

Anderson, known to her friends as “Krissy,” was hospitalized at five months pregnant and delivered her daughter, Charlotte Willow, after doctors were unable to locate a heartbeat, friends told FOX4 News. She developed a fever a day after the birth. Her condition worsened and she battled sepsis, which eventually led to organ failure. Despite being placed on life support and undergoing three surgeries, she died early Wednesday morning.

“I feel lost,” her husband, Clayton Anderson, told the station. “There’s a lot of people in this house and it feels empty.”

While overall maternal deaths in the U.S. have steadily ticked up over the past two decades, Black women remain two to three times more likely to die in childbirth than white women, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With the risks to Black mothers exacerbated by implicit bias and medical racism, they are also more likely to experience life-threatening complications like preeclampsia, postpartum hemorrhage, and blood clots.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/former-kansas-city-chiefs-cheerleader-dies-of-sepsis-after-stillbirth/ar-BB1kA9TD

Could this tragedy have been avoided with timely abortion care? The doctors didn't take action until there was no heartbeat detected from the fetus. There's no mention of Missouri's abortion ban in the article, but it seems that Krystal was failed by her doctors, the hospital and state law.
---------------------------------------
CORRECTION: She was most likely hospitalized in Kansas, where abortion is once again legal! My apologies!

[lastlib]

1. Post self-deleted

Last edited Wed Mar 27, 2024, 05:40 PM - Edit history (1)

[ecstatic]

4. Agreed! It's awful and I wish the media would connect the dots.

It seems this could have been avoided! How many women will this happen to?

[lastlib]

5. Well, this story was aired on a Fox TV station, so it's doubtful they would want to.....

connect any dots like that. Just sayin'.....

[Probatim]

18. I'd be happy if voters were able to connect the dots - the media is as complicit as the legislators in these instances.

[xmas74]

28. She's not from Missouri and nothing says she received

Her care here. She lived with her husband in Leawood so the Missouri bans didn't affect her.

[arthritisR_US]

39. You are so right!

[FarPoint]

32. I don't see it happening that way in this situation...

This is a tragic event which has happened without the repugs law interference this time...I see no denied health care....It has happened before the overturning of Roe....

It does point out the essentials of women's health care which IS being eroded by the repugs...we need to fight and regain our position and return to proa tive womens healthcare....it's a serious event.....pregnancy.

[former9thward]

47. She died in Kansas, not Missouri

[Raven123]

2. Whoa. I think your conclusion may be a bit of a leap

I didn’t see anything in the article that suggested an indication for intervention sooner. Just not enough info.

[Irish_Dem]

6. Justice for this woman means asking some questions.

Was this a preventable death?
Did GOP laws prevent her from getting the care she needed?

I hope we all have someone at least asking a question if we
die under suspicious circumstances.

Today in the US a pregnant woman with sepsis is a suspicious death.
That is reality.

[Raven123]

9. Unless I missed it the article does not give much information.

I will wait for her friends and/or family to come forward with details before speculating.

[Irish_Dem]

11. We are asking for more information.

This is a suspicious death in the US in 2024.

I am going to stand up for women and ask questions.

[Raven123]

13. I suspect the family is standing up as well.

I await any comments they choose to make.

[et tu]

25. and she was a woman

of color, at higher risk and i agree with irish dem-
we need to speak up and ask questions.

[ck4829]

45. Yes!

[marybourg]

7. Could she have gotten an intervention earlier, before lack of fetal heartbeat?

If not, I think it’s a reasonable assumption that state law was at least partially to blame.

[Raven123]

10. Perhaps the pregnancy was going well until fetal death

[marybourg]

17. And then sepsis immediately?

[Raven123]

41. We do not know. Ever read a news story that was imprecise or inaccurate?

Last edited Wed Mar 27, 2024, 07:17 AM - Edit history (1)

. “She developed a fever a day after the birth. Her condition worsened and she battled sepsis, which eventually led to organ failure.”

Doesn’t appear sepsis occurred immediately. IF I read correctly, this doesn’t seem immediate.

[marybourg]

44. Of course not. I was being facetious.

[Raven123]

46. My apologies for not recognizing !

[happy feet]

22. Spectulation?

[Raven123]

42. Sure would be. Pointing out out why we should avoid judgement at this time.

I have no idea what happened. Nor does anyone commenting here. We lack all salient facts, so why assume ?

[former9thward]

48. What state law?

She was in Kansas.

[LeftInTX]

54. This was her second stillbirth...

Maybe she was a strong Group B Strep carrier?

I was a carrier. It's quite hard to shake.

Had it with all three pregnancies, but with my second two pregnancies, they didn't monitor it until 7.5 months. The first one, they didn't until after he was born and it was colonized from his ear.

The weird thing about GBS: You take the antibiotics and it comes back pretty much after you stop! In one of my pregnancies, I was on several courses. Super annoying. 99% of carriers have no maternal symptoms and it's basically considered a "vaginal colonization", with no symptoms. Infants are considered to be at risk.

https://www.cdc.gov/groupbstrep/about/fast-facts.html

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(22)00093-6/fulltext

[ecstatic]

8. Maybe, I guess more info is needed

but it's not adding up. How did sepsis develop so quickly?

[Raven123]

12. Fair question. Just not enough information.to know.

If her family chooses, they will release more information. Until then, all speculation is just that. In this agitated environment it is too tempting to assume.

[malaise]

3. Murder by the Supremes

That is all

[Blue Idaho]

20. Exactly.

Since these black robed zealots demand having the devine right of kings - they need to be called out and held responsible for the murderous damage they are doing.

Question - which is more lethal, abortions done in a hospital or clinic setting or the banning of abortions done by these murderers?

[ms liberty]

14. Pregnancy and childbirth are extremely dangerous for women. That is the lesson here.

The government needs to keep their fucking noses out if it and leave it to the professionals. Period. This is a tragedy, whatever the reason, biut it is also a lesson in risk...pregnancy and childbirth are extremely risky and dangerous. No woman should be FORCED to go through it.

My wishes for healing go to this young woman's family.

[live love laugh]

51. Childbirth mortality is disproportionately higher in the US among blacks.

There are many systemic reasons, and I’m not sure what may or may not apply to this case. Nevertheless, it is tragic.

[RSherman]

60. Thank you for being the only person to get this point

[uponit7771]

15. Just damn

[Faux pas]

16. ...

[MorbidButterflyTat]

19. "The doctors didn't take action until there was no heartbeat detected from the fetus."

What action were they supposed to take? Why would they deliver a live fetus prematurely? There is no indication that she sought an abortion; in fact, she and her husband had named their baby.

I'm not comfortable with this very personal tragic loss being hashed into a ghoulish political sideshow. This type of issue can be triggering for some of us.

[LisaM]

24. I agree, and she had already lost a baby.

Possibly, she was already at high risk. It's horribly sad.

[ecstatic]

26. Sorry if it's triggering. My concern is that doctors may not have mentioned all of her options due to the

abortion ban in Missouri. That's what's so devastating about the law--not just that women asking for one can't get it, but doctors and hospitals are less inclined to mention it as an option from fear of being sued or criminally charged.

I don't know what happened. You're right. But if we stay silent and keep everything a family issue then how will we get this abortion ban resolved? Her husband didn't have to go public with this news, but yet he did and he's giving interviews. Hopefully he'll clarify things soon after he hears from non-gagged doctors who can speak freely.

[xmas74]

35. This didn't happen in Missouri

She was a former Chiefs cheerleader and worked for Cerner but she lived over the state line in Leawood. Kansas still allows abortion care and fir non emergency it would have been a short drive to a clinic. For emergency there are a mix of private/religious and then the University of Kansas Med school in a short drive. KU will do them. They asked me about if there was any chance I was pregnant before they tested me and said if I had cancer there were options and wanted to know if I'd like information on said options.

[Cha]

21. ohh That's so Sad!

[SunSeeker]

23. The buck stops with Trump. Trump killed her with his Christofascist Justices. nt

[xmas74]

27. She lived in Leawood

Unless she chose to cross the state line for care the MO ban wouldn't affect her. It's still legal in KS.

[slightlv]

30. You're correct, but having been

hospitalized before in Leawood, most of the hospitals I know there are affiliated with religious groups... especially Catholics. You're not going to get an abortion - emergency or not - in one of those hospitals. We have entirely too many hospitals owned and managed by religious groups, and it's causing a lot of issues, especially with women.

[xmas74]

33. KU Med is about 10 minutes from Leawood

And it's where to go if you want quality care or if you have any complications whatsoever. That's why I drive over an hour one way for my oncology appointments, even though I could go to Research or Centerpoint and not cross the state line.

There are other cases out there that make a better point. Using this case probably isn't the right one.

[pstokely]

37. KU Med is a state controlled hospital though

and obliviously the KS repuke legislature isn't friendly to reproductive rights

[xmas74]

38. My gyn oncologist is at KU.

I asked her questions left and right when I was first diagnosed and she confirmed that they will do emergency care if needed but the main issue is if insurance will cover. If it's not an emergency they will refer out to a clinic where the price will be thousands cheaper,such as Comprehensive Health.

[TeamProg]

29. Fucking Republicans

Either way. Fucking Republicans.

[Warpy]

31. MO is one of those states with a total abortion ban

which is something only a white Christian male who hates women could think is a good idea.

She was at 5 months, so getting that fetus out of her before sepsis set in would have been considered an abortion there.

I wish she could have seen her way to clear to leave that state. She might be alive today.

[xmas74]

34. It didn't happen in Missouri

She lived in Leawood,Kansas where the ban wouldn't affect her.

[niyad]

36. Surprisingly, People magazine has a somewhat informative obituary

Last edited Wed Mar 27, 2024, 12:01 AM - Edit history (1)

on Ms. Anderson. Several notable facts: after her cheerleading days, she worked as a yoga instructor and a software engineer for Oracle Health. She received a patent for software that assesses the risk of postpartum hemorrhage. She was an advocate for Black women, and STEM. And, she had lost a previous pregnancy in 2022.

A further note: Mayo Clinic says there are approximately 1.7 MILLION cases of sepsis a year, and approximately 270,000 die. Another article said her medical team could not find the source of the infection.

And a further note, on euphemisms: one article said that the stillborn fetus was "born at rest".

[StarryNite]

40. Heartbreaking

[mopinko]

43. tho abortion is legal where this happened, i still smell a christofascist.

if this was a catholic hospital, u bet they interfered. that’s y i refuse to go to a catholic hospital, even tho i’m well past those yrs. my nearest hosp is catholic, but that’s where an ambulance takes u. they have a top rated cardiac unit, which is y they get the ambulances, even tho their in another city.
that’s some rapid onset sepsis, and ‘they couldnt figure out the source’. rly? c’mon, man.

hope more info comes out, cuz this smells very, very bad.

[flying_wahini]

49. Blame Alito out loud in an interview on national TV. Hold him responsible verbally since he can't be sued.

[RSherman]

50. delete

Last edited Wed Mar 27, 2024, 04:19 PM - Edit history (1)

[greatauntoftriplets]

52. Sepsis is a scary disease.

I'm currently recovering from it, and it's been a slog. I'm better than I was in the hospital ER where my BP was 49/33.

My best wishes to the family for their loss.

[twodogsbarking]

53. Wishing you the best. It is scary.

[greatauntoftriplets]

61. Thanks very much.

I haven't been that sick in years.

[electric_blue68]

58. May you Fully recover, even if it takes more time!...

Both my dad in the early '00s, and my sister last year (!) had it; both recovered fully.

Very scary!

In fact, the strange infection my sister had - she was in the hospital for 11 days I was praying she wasn't going to get it since I knew it could turn fatal; it turned out she had had it. I, like, internally "screamed"!

Found out while in her rehab bc of being bed ridden she needed walking rehab w her bad knee. She's ok now.

Again, good luck!!! 🤞🤞🤞👍👍👍

[greatauntoftriplets]

64. I'm recovered from it, though I'm still tired.

Right now, I'm in a rehab place to regain strength. I was in the hospital for a week. This was caught early because zI happened to be in a hospital when I started feeling sick. Not admitted, but there for treatment for something unrelated.

That's great that both your father and sister recovered.

I'll be so happy to get home, as your father and sister probably were.

Thanks for your good wishes.

[AllyCat]

55. Absolutely tragic. I'm so sorry to hear this.

[mysteryowl]

56. Sepsis is a horrible way to die

[RSherman]

57. This article is NOT about Roe! It's about Black maternal mortality!

"While overall maternal deaths in the U.S. have steadily ticked up over the past two decades, Black women remain two to three times more likely to die in childbirth than white women, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With the risks to Black mothers exacerbated by implicit bias and medical racism, they are also more likely to experience life-threatening complications like preeclampsia, postpartum hemorrhage, and blood clots."

Read the original article:

““It’s, you know, we say, the best country in the world, right?” Anderson’s husband told FOX4 News. “Not if you’re a Black pregnant woman, it’s not—and that needs to change.”

Yes, we can agree that Republicans/Conservatives are passing laws that are dangerous to women's reproductive health.

At the same time, we must recognize that for so many Black women and infants to die in this day and age is unacceptable. I was pained to see that only one other poster alluded to this.

Even Serena Williams, who has resources and is in amazing physical shape had trouble. The day after giving birth to her daughter, she was short of breath. Having experienced blood clots in the past, she had no doubt that she was struggling with a life-threatening pulmonary embolism. The trouble was no one believed her.

Dr. Chaniece Wallace, a Black pediatrician in Indianapolis died in 2020 due to preeclampsia complications two days after giving birth to her daughter.

In 2023, Tori Bowie, an elite Olympic athlete, died of complications from childbirth. Tori Bowie, who captured gold as a sprinter in the Olympics and the world championships, died at age 32 from complications of childbirth, according to an autopsy report.

In 2016, Kira Johnson of Los Angeles died after giving birth from postpartum hemorrhage. After hours of her husband, Charles, letting hospital employees know that the catheter coming from her bedside was pink from blood, they finally made the decision to take her to surgery, where they found she had been bleeding internally for almost 10 hours.

In 2020, Amber Isaac of New York City suffered the same fate. Amber spent months pleading to see a doctor in-person in lieu of telehealth visits (due to COVID-19) because of her platelet levels. In late April she was admitted to the hospital after her condition worsened, where it was discovered she had hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, low platelet count (HELLP) syndrome and was thus induced more than a month early and rushed into an emergency C-section. She later died after giving birth.

Black women are 3 to 4 times more likely to die of pregnancy-related complications.

In NYC, the Black maternal mortality rate is 9 times higher than their white peers.

In the US, Black people are twice as likely to have a preterm birth, birth a low weight baby, or have a child that dies before the age of one.

A 2019 survey that polled pregnant women of all races showed that 22 percent of Black women reported mistreatment by a health care professional during their pregnancies and childbirth. They are twice as likely as their white peers to report being ignored by a health care professional when they reported symptoms or asked for help.

Preeclampsia is 60 percent more common in Black birthing women than in their white counterparts.

Source: Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons With Racism in Medicine by Uche' Blackstock, MD

Excellent article:

https://www.communitysolutions.com/medical-bias-weathering-deadly-impact-black-mothers/

Also, read: Weathering by Geronimus

[pstokely]

62. and also high risk pregnancy

isn't 35 & over geriatric pregnancy?

[RSherman]

59. I am disappointed and probably about to break the DU rules

This story is NOT about Roe. It is about the longstanding problem of Black maternal/infant death mortality in this country.

We are co-opting the larger story to politicize this tragic death, which is all too common among Black women. We are on par with the Republicans who are politicizing the Baltimore Bridge tragedy.

[ck4829]

63. +1 The maternal mortality rate in this country is disgusting, the black maternal mortality rate is even worse

It needs to be a big red flag on the "world's greatest healthcare system" and mark of shame.