In Part 1 of our bold and moving conversation with Shawn Cheshire, Penn and Moses explore her remarkable journey from a difficult childhood in South Texas to breaking barriers as one of the first women in her Army specialty, and later serving as an EMT and paramedic. Shawn shares with raw honesty about growing up without love or nurture, surviving abuse, and how the voice of her grandmother’s encouragement shaped her resilience. She recounts her military service as a helicopter armament systems mechanic, the challenges of proving herself in a male-dominated field, and her transition into emergency medical services. The episode builds toward the life-changing on-the-job brain injury that left her blind, as Shawn reflects on the events, traumas, and triumphs that shaped her into the unstoppable athlete and advocate she is today. This is a gripping start to a story you will not forget.
Contact Info
Guest: Shawn Cheshire — https://www.shawncheshire.org/
Aftersight: feedback@aftersight.org | (720) 712-8856 | aftersight.org/podcast
Producer: Jonathan Price: Jonathan@aftersight.org
Show Credits
Hosts: Penn Street & Moses Street
Producer: Jonathan Price
Executive Producer: Aftersight
Recorded for: The Blind Chick — An Aftersight Original Podcast
Chapter Markers
00:00 — Introduction & Content Warning
02:14 — Why "Blind AF" and the Power of Shawn’s Story
03:15 — Childhood in South Texas & Early Trauma
06:40 — Joining the Army at 17 to Escape
08:20 — Breaking Barriers as a Female Helicopter Armament Mechanic
11:23 — Injuries, Discharge, and Moving Forward
13:47 — Surviving Abuse & Planning an Escape
16:10 — The Grandmother’s Voice That Saved Her
18:32 — EMT Training and Leaving in the Middle of the Night
20:49 — Life as a Paramedic & Finding Purpose
22:53 — The Accident That Changed Everything
25:19 — Diagnosis, Vision Loss, and the Long Road of Recovery
27:15 — Closing & Preview of Part 2