By the age of 30, Cheslie Kryst had a law degree and an MBA, won Miss USA, and worked as an Emmy-nominated Extra correspondent.
Those who knew her public demeanor were taken aback when she committed suicide on January 30, 2022, three months before her 31st birthday.
Kryst left a note for her mother just before she died, asking her to help her accomplish a final wish: publish the memoir she'd been working on.
Simpkins, 56, fulfilled her daughter's final wish by included her own voice at the end of the book, detailing the sad moment she discovered Kryst had died and the lessons she's learned from grieving her daughter.
Their book, By the Time You Read This: The Space Between Cheslie's Smile and Mental Illness, will be released on April 23.
In May 2019 Kryst was named Miss USA at the age of 28, then the oldest Miss USA ever crowned. Immediately after her triumph, she faced backlash online.
In May 2019 Kryst was named Miss USA at the age of 28, then the oldest Miss USA ever crowned. Immediately after her triumph, she faced backlash online. ealize I had no idea what I was doing.
Cheslie didn't "do this to me" or anyone else. She was in unbearable pain and desperately wanted it to end. Her death was not an emotional or spontaneous decision, as far as I could tell. She'd sent me that final text message to console me and express how much agony she was carrying.