The Evans Family

Kierra Evans

October 18, 1998 – February 22, 2019

Seaman Kierra Evans was born on October 18, 1998 to Kenya Evans and Eric Cherry. She graduated from Neville High School on May 18, 2017. At Neville, she was an active member of the Navy Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps for four years.

Kierra entered military duty on January 2, 2019 at Naval Station Great Lakes near Chicago, Illinois. She was proud to enter in as a Seaman and was set to graduate from Recruit Training on March 1, 2019.

While running during a February 22 physical fitness assessment at a Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Illinois, Kierra collapsed. She was taken to Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital and resuscitated but died later that night while in intensive care.

Navy doctors later determined Kierra had sickle cell trait, a blood disorder.  The vast majority of carriers don’t experience symptoms, but hard physical activity can spur the condition to manifest symptoms. The military was aware of her condition. During a timed training run, Kierra threw up and collapsed.

Her official cause of death was linked to her sickle cell trait. Known as exertional rhabdomyolysis, this condition the breaks down muscle tissue during intense physical activity and causes organ failure.

Kierra leaves to cherished memories: her loving mother, her father, her step-father, two brothers, sisters, her grandmother, Godmother, boyfriend, two best friends that were like sisters to her, one aunt, one uncle, a special niece, a special cousin, and a host of other aunts, nieces and nephews, cousins, and friends.