Aspen Shelton

Personal

• Began swimming at 18 months as a form of physical therapy due to being a premature baby at 26 weeks…became competitive at the age of nine and made the National A Team at 16... Was born with stage three retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), amblyopia, Usher’s Syndrome, Macular Degeneration and Cortical /Cerebral Vision Loss (CVI)
• In 2020 amid the Covid-19 pandemic Aspen was diagnosed with a brain tumor in the center of her head the size of a baseball and after surgery woke up completely blind and paralyzed on her left side, in addition to her already present weakness on her right from a previous spinal cord injury...Not even a month after her surgery, Aspen contracted the deadly disease known as Meningitis resulting in a brain injury, and had to undergo another brain surgery to place a lifesaving ventriculoperitoneal shunt, she will live with hydrocephalus for the rest of her life...She underwent extensive in-patient therapy to try to relearn daily skills and adjust to her new normal.
• Aspen is still dealing with serious health issues but is now getting back into Paralympic Swimming as well as Paralympic Dressage as a form of physical therapy and to just have fun
• Hobbies playing the piano, horseback riding, watching movies, volunteering in her community, collecting stickers and magnets from her travels and competitions, hanging with family and friends, and being with her animals
• Is currently getting her Master's degree at Denver University in Non-Profit Leadership and Governance as well as a Master's at Loyola University Maryland in Emerging Media, Health Administration
• Parents: Chad and Vicki Shelton
• Brother: Ethan Shelton
  • Pets: Two dogs: Edwina (Eddie) Aspen's retired Seeing Eye dog, and Lake her current Seeing Eye dog, as well as a cat named Agitos

Achievements

• Set U.S., Pan-Am and World records in the 200-meter backstroke S13 at World Para Swimming World Series in Berlin in 2017
• Gold in the 100m backstroke S12, Silver in the 100m freestyle S12 at the 2018 Pan-Pacific Championships
• Gold in the 4x100m Freestyle Mixed Relay – 49 points, Silver in the 100m back S12, Bronze in the 50m free S12 at the 2019 Pan-American Games
• Aspen has swam at multiple World Series Events, making finals and medaling in many events...Won multiple National Paralympic Championships…won a National Championship title in 2019 a few short weeks after having a stroke.
• Swam at Aledo High School during her freshman and sophomore years, and set school records in the 100/200/500 free and 100 back
• Placed second in the 100 back and third in the 100 free at Texas UIL Regionals...
• Qualified for Texas UIL state meet in 2017...Scholastic All-American in 2016-17 and 2017-18...Swam for Division 1 Loyola University Maryland