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“Extra’s” Cheslie Kryst was an undimmable light, an unstoppable force. She was an attorney, had an MBA, and won the Miss USA pageant.
Before her death, she was our co-worker who lit up our office every day.
“Extra” sat down with her mom April Simpkins as her book with Cheslie, “By the Time You Read This: The Space between Cheslie’s Smile and Mental Illness — Her Story in Her Own Words,” is released.
April shared, “She loved her time here at ‘Extra.’ She really did develop a family here.”
In Cheslie’s final message to her mother, she asked for help with getting her book published. April has been on a mission ever since to honor that request.
Simpkins emphasized, “There was nothing that was gonna stop me from making that happen.”
Cheslie’s book is out today, a few days before what would have been her 33rd birthday.
April smiled, saying, “Today is a cause for celebration because this was Cheslie’s dream.”
“And to see it reach the finish line means everything to me. And I know she is dancing in heaven,” Simpkins pointed out.
In the book, Cheslie opens up about her battle with depression, her struggle to be perfect, and the pressure she felt from her success.
April said, “We don’t always think that someone like Cheslie, who had so many things going for her, would have a voice in her head that would make her feel inferior or that she wasn’t enough, but she did.”
In the book, Cheslie wrote of an “unshakable feeling that I did not belong” and trying to cope every day with a “constant inner voice repeating ‘never enough.’”
Simpkins noted, “My hope is when people are reading this book that they see her as human. Maybe they realize they have voices in their heads and they need to seek help, seek support, get counseling, and take care of themselves.”
And to help, April started the Cheslie C. Kryst Foundation, with all proceeds from the book going to help people struggling with mental health issues.
She said, “That would be young adults and teens who are working to support their mental health.”
Cheslie was gone too soon, but her legacy and service to others lives on with her deeply personal memoir “By the Time You Read This: The Space between Cheslie’s Smile and Mental Illness — Her Story in Her Own Words.”
April elaborated, “She lived an amazing life. Cheslie is not her death. Cheslie is not her mental illness. Cheslie is an amazing, beautiful woman who chased her dreams. She was passionate about service and serving others, and that is why she’s left this lasting legacy on this earth.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, you can text 988 for help.