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Honoring the life and work of Cheslie Kryst

By Ingrid Vasquez

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - DECEMBER 08: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Miss USA Cheslie Kryst appears onstage at the 2019 Miss Universe Pageant at Tyler Perry Studios on December 08, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - DECEMBER 08: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Miss USA Cheslie Kryst appears onstage at the 2019 Miss Universe Pageant at Tyler Perry Studios on December 08, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images) /
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“Her great light inspired others around the world with her beauty and strength”, wrote the family of the late Cheslie Kryst who died from suicide late January 30th. “She cared, she loved, she laughed and she shined,” they added in their statement.

The pageant queen and Extra correspondent was loved by many as the 2019 Miss USA winner and former North Carolina attorney and Division I athlete.

As she neared the age of 30, she wrote an essay for Allure speaking about her struggle to reach that age and live up to expectations of beauty, youth, and achievement. At the time she was only 28, but she was the oldest pageant winner in the Miss USA pageant’s 68-year history. While she was an accomplished woman throughout the many fields she embarked on, she struggled to feel fulfilled and touched upon this from the start of her essay. But it’s somewhere along the middle of it that gives you a glimpse of where she saw herself. The essay was published last March.

"“A grinning, crinkly-eyed glance at my achievements thus far makes me giddy about laying the groundwork for more, but turning 30 feels like a cold reminder that I’m running out of time to matter in society’s eyes — and it’s infuriating.After a year like 2020, you would think we’d learned that growing old is a treasure and maturity is a gift not everyone gets to enjoy. Far too many of us allow ourselves to be measured by a standard that some sternly refuse to challenge and others simply acquiesce to because fitting in and going with the flow is easier than rowing against the current. I fought this fight before and it’s the battle I’m currently fighting with 30.”"

There is no picture to describe who suffers from thoughts of suicide. Cheslie was nominated for two Daytime Emmy Awards and even worked to assist prisoners that were sentenced to life in prison pro bono. If there is a stigma for people who suffer from mental health, she didn’t fit the bill.

But that’s just it. As the Suicide Prevention Hotline describes it, there is no telling sign. Things you can look for to see if a person is struggling however include: if a person speaks about being a burden to others, if they begin to give away their possessions, if they begin to withdraw themselves from others, and if they begin to talk about feeling hopeless.

Read more about the warning signs here and if you or someone else is struggling, remember that help is available. Please know that the Suicide Prevention hotline is at reach 24/7 at1-800-273-8255.

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