Never Stop the Fight: How Shauna Skated Through Life’s Greatest Challenges
This week I am going to cover another recipient, whose name is Shauna Cagnoni. I had the pleasure and the chance to meet her and talk with her. Some people are defined by the obstacles they face. Others are defined by how they respond to them. Shauna’s story is one of unwavering resilience, proving that even life’s greatest challenges cannot extinguish a determined spirit.
Long before hospitals, chemotherapy, and transplant surgery became part of her journey, Shauna’s life revolved around the ice. She first laced up a pair of skates at just 18 months old, following in the footsteps of her parents, who were professional figure skaters. Skating wasn’t simply a hobby—it was woven into the fabric of her life.
Growing up, her family moved frequently, even spending a year in Australia where she found success competing in pairs skating with her brother. Later, after graduating from Purdue University and studying abroad in France, Shauna settled in Aspen, Colorado. There she met her husband, Russ, built a family, and turned her lifelong passion into a career as the skating director. She coached countless young athletes, including one who would eventually compete in the Olympic Games.
Away from the rink, Shauna and Russ shared another love—hockey. Their family embraced the sport, following their sons through years of practices, games, and unforgettable memories. Whether teaching skating or cheering from the stands, Shauna poured her heart into helping others grow.
Then life unexpectedly changed course. Shauna was diagnosed with Common Variable Immunodeficiency (CVID), a rare autoimmune disease that weakened her immune system and required regular IVIG infusions. As difficult as that diagnosis was, an even greater challenge awaited. In 2018, doctors delivered devastating news: stage four lymphoma.
For many, such a diagnosis would bring life to a standstill. However Shauna chose a different path. Throughout the six months of chemotherapy, she refused to surrender her optimism. In one remarkable display of determination, she hiked the Grand Canyon while undergoing treatment. The hike wasn’t about conquering a trail—it was about proving to herself that cancer would not define her. Every step became a declaration that she intended to keep living life on her own terms.
After completing treatment, Shauna transformed her experience into service. She began volunteering with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, mentoring newly diagnosed patients and helping raise funds for research. Having walked the difficult road herself, she became a source of hope for others beginning their own battles.
But the challenges weren’t over. Years of autoimmune disease had already damaged her lungs through asthma, bronchiectasis, and interstitial lung disease. Then COVID-19 dealt a devastating blow, leaving her lungs so severely compromised that a double lung transplant became her only chance at survival.
The transplant evaluation process was emotionally and physically exhausting. Endless tests, uncertainty, and waiting tested both Shauna and Russ. Yet they never lost faith. In August 2022, the call finally came. Donor lungs had become available.
The surgery marked the beginning of another difficult climb rather than the end of the journey. Recovery required incredible patience, determination, and countless hours of rehabilitation.
Throughout it all, Russ remained by her side, while friends, family, their medical team, and an entire community surrounded them with encouragement, meals, prayers, and unwavering support. Today, Shauna continues to celebrate milestones that many people might overlook. Walking half a mile each day represents far more than exercise—it is evidence of a second chance. Every step honors both the anonymous donor who made her transplant possible and the resilience that carried her through unimaginable adversity.
Her goals remain focused not on what she has lost, but on what she still hopes to accomplish. She looks forward to returning to the skating rink to teach once again, inspiring a new generation of athletes. She continues volunteering with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and hopes to become even more involved in supporting transplant recipients and donor families.
Shauna’s story reminds us that resilience isn’t about pretending life is easy. It’s about choosing hope in the face of uncertainty, finding purpose through hardship, and continuing to fight when every reason says to quit.
Some journeys are measured in medals or championships. Shauna’s is measured in courage, compassion, and countless lives touched along the way. Her greatest victory wasn’t won on the ice—it was earned through every challenge she refused to let define her.
And through it all, she never stopped fighting.
