About the Author

Shawnee is a first-time author. She promised to write Baylie’s story while sitting by her daughter’s bedside in the ICU. Shawnee kept her promise and has delivered an outstanding book, on the journey of resilience, unexpected tragedy, the dangers of college life, and the unbelievable obstacles Baylie’s family endured.

Shawnee grew up in a small town just north of Toronto, Ontario. After graduating from Georgian College, she began her career as a registered nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit. At the time, hospitals were experiencing cutbacks, and several closed across Canada. Shawnee accepted a position in a level three NICU in Brownsville, Texas, where she resided for a year before moving to San Antonio and accepting a position at Methodist Hospital. Shawnee and her husband at the time, had a young family. Three little ones by the age of twenty-three.

Shawnee returned to the Toronto area after Baylie was born and worked in the NICU at the world-renowned Hospital for Sick Children. She then expanded her nursing specialty and transitioned to the emergency room, where she acquired trauma nursing skills and learned firsthand about the complications of brain injuries. Before long she returned to the NICU.

Shawnee moved to Boston as a traveling nurse with her youngest child, Baylie, when her two sons left for college. She worked at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in the NICU before meeting her current husband, Scott.

The book, Baylie, was written to honor her daughter, but also to bring awareness to the dangers of college life, and the need for change. The book delivers an incredible story of a life destined for greatness, and the burning question of the soul’s purpose. The circumstances faced by Baylie’s family were truly the very worst. A series of unfortunate events leading up to the tragedy highlight a normal college life, where nothing was out of the ordinary, and what happened to Baylie could happen to anyone.

Shawnee shares her journey through grief, and discovers a secret only a few are privy to; one you must suffer tremendous pain for, just to be told. There are moments of synchronicity that cannot be explained and breadcrumbs that tell an unbelievable story. Baylie reads like a fiction novel, with twists and turns on every page. Shawnee learns that love is all that exists and promises, no matter what must always be kept.

Since completion, Shawnee has connected with many parents who have experienced a similar tragedy. The foundation has revealed a tragic situation where 80% of young adults do not feel that colleges do enough to keep them safe. Students have limited resources and few options. The Baylie’s Wish Foundation was created to bring change to current policies. To establish safety nets that recognize the limits of the immature brain. Including the decision-making skills that only develop by the mid-late twenties.

Shawnee also hopes to initiate Baylie’s Law for mandatory healthcare proxies with college admission and waivers for HIPAA law. By educating students and families, bringing awareness to these issues, implementing newer safety protocols that address today’s social behaviors, and removing the barriers for college kids to seek help when they need it most, we will save lives.