A community is grieving after a woman tragically died in a swimming pool accident. Shanna Hogan, a 38-year-old New York Times bestselling author, was swimming at her home in Phoenix with her young son, Zander, when she slipped and hit her head. She was left submerged in the water until her husband, Matt LaRussa, found her. Her toddler son was safely outside of the pool and wearing his swimming vest.
Matt immediately dragged his unconscious wife out of the pool and performed CPR on her until paramedics arrived. She was then rushed to the hospital, where she remained in critical condition for several days. On September 1, she succumbed to her injuries.
Shanna was a young mother and had been married to her husband for nearly 20 years. She was also an accomplished writer. Her friends and family have been hard hit by the tragedy, and the fact that her young son witnessed the whole event is simply unimaginable.
Shanna Hogan died tragically last week, and so many are grieving her loss. Shanna was a force in the writing world. The true crime author was a former reporter at the East Valley Tribune. She established herself as an author, writing several books, including Dancing With Death, Picture Perfect: The Jodi Arias Story, The Stranger She Loved, and Secrets of a Marine's Wife.
Shanna was also an award-winning journalist and an adjunct professor at her alma mater, Arizona State University, in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism. But her proudest accomplishment was being the mother to her young son, Zander, who sadly witnessed the accident that led to the end of her life. Zander only just turned 1 in June.
Shanna clearly adored her son. She had recently gotten a tattoo of the letter Z on her wrist dedicated to him. On August 20, she showed off the tattoo on Instagram. She captioned the photo, "I hope one day my little love muffin brags that both his parents got 'Z' and 'Zander' tattoos on our arms. He will grow up knowing he's the center of our world. ." She continued, "I would be happy if one day Zander is embarrassed by how much we adore him!"
Shanna's good friend, Kathleen "Katie" Mayer, set up a GoFundMe page for her family. She told People, "At a time where human kindness is so desperately needed, we've lost one of the people who gave that to our world, but Shanna's writing will live on, the lives she saved will live on and her greatest creation — her little boy — will live on to inspire all of us."
On the GoFundMe page, Katie wrote, "This fundraiser will raise money to pay for the family's extensive medical bills, memorial costs and to support Zander as he grows up without a mother. Please help us help this amazing family. Shanna was always there for her family, friends, co-workers and readers with her warm smile and support. Now is our time to step up and be there for her family."
Katie also told People about who Shanna was. "Shanna was a talented writer with a gift for beautiful descriptions and compelling narratives," she shared. "Her extraordinary style of storytelling drew you in as a reader, while her warmth drew in those she wrote about so they felt comfortable sharing their most personal stories with her."
She continued on, talking about what her friend's future plans were. "She had another book planned as well as a screenplay in progress and she was so excited about these projects," she said. "As a college instructor, she loved not only teaching but having fun in the classroom. She brought a zany sense of humor and so much laughter to her students."
But more than any of Shanna's accomplishments, her generous nature is what sticks out to Katie. "Personally, she was the kindest human being I have ever known and beautiful with thick red hair and a warm smile," she said. "She was the type of person to text you just to tell you, 'Hey, I think you're awesome and I just wanted you to know that.'"
Shanna's death is being felt deeply in her community, but it's also being grieved in the writing world, as well. Fans, followers, and colleagues have been sharing their condolences on social media, as well as speaking out about what her work meant to them personally.
Shanna's family decided that her organs would be donated. They have already helped to save the lives of up to four people. More lives may be saved in the future from those donations, too. For someone who seemed to have such a huge heart, according to her friends, it seems fitting that her generosity is continuing on even after the end of her life.
