You may know Shelby as an author or a retired cardiovascular perfusionist. She has also been a competitive swimmer, barrel racer, mentor, and speaker. Here’s a little of the life behind those titles.
Shelby was six when an explosion left her with severe burns. She spent six months recovering at Brooke Army Medical Center. Going home brought new challenges, including bullying at school. With support from her family, she found her footing in the pool, around horses, and eventually in work she cared deeply about.
Recovery was part of her childhood. It did not have to define everything that followed.
Swimming started as rehabilitation. Horses offered a welcome break from difficult days at school. Books were always close by. Over time, those interests helped Shelby build confidence and find her own direction.
Her father took her swimming during her recovery. What began as therapy grew into competitive swimming and a scholarship to the University of Texas.
Shelby worked in riding barns and competed in local barrel races. Being around horses gave her a place to feel confident and at ease.
She grew up surrounded by books and imagined writing one of her own. School newspapers and The Daily Texan gave her an early start.
After experiencing medicine as a child, Shelby came to know it from another side through her career in cardiovascular perfusion.
As a mentor, Shelby brings the perspective of someone who has faced setbacks and kept working toward the things that mattered to her.
As a speaker, she shares a story that can open conversations about self-belief, difficult beginnings, and pursuing a dream later in life.
These experiences are all part of Shelby, but none tells the whole story. She is still writing, learning, and looking forward to what comes next.
Shelby grew up in a home where reading mattered. Her mother read her work and encouraged her to think clearly and choose her words carefully. Writing for school newspapers, and later The Daily Texan, helped her put that advice into practice.
Fiction gave her a different kind of freedom. With The Lab: The Power to Survive, she could follow her own questions about medicine, science, and faith. Her upcoming nonfiction project brings her back to a subject she knows from years of professional experience.
Shelby’s wish to become an author stayed with her for years. She is still making room for new work and new connections, a reminder that getting older doesn’t mean giving up what matters to you.