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: [email protected] | (720) 712-8856 | aftersight.org/podcast

Producer: Jonathan Price: [email protected]

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