Leading with Lived Experience

On Mother’s Day in 2011, Louisiana native Elizabeth was enjoying a Sunday crawfish boil with her family when a pot broke loose, spilling scalding water on her, causing second- and third-degree burns.

She spent six weeks at Shriners Children’s Texas recovering from the accident and returned several times for specialized follow-up care for over a decade.

Today, Elizabeth is no longer the little 8-year-old girl she was in a hospital bed. She is a healthcare professional working overnight shifts in a North Dallas trauma center, finishing her degree in healthcare administration, and building toward her goal of becoming a hospital CEO.

“I always knew I wanted to be in healthcare,” she said. “I just didn’t know what that looked like.”

Elizabeth graduated from high school in 2021 with hopes of becoming a burn nurse, inspired by those who cared for her as a child. She began college in Indiana as a nursing major while dancing at the collegiate level. Between demanding coursework and spending most of her time in practice, at games and traveling for competitions, Elizabeth began to reconsider her path. She switched her major to marketing, added a healthcare concentration, and discovered a growing interest in the health and wellness space.

Soon after, Elizabeth was recruited to the dance team at Dallas Baptist University in Texas. There, she met with an advisor who helped her take a closer look at her long-term goals.

“I told her I wanted to be a hospital CEO,” Elizabeth said. “And she looked at me and said, ‘Then why are you a marketing major?’”

That conversation changed everything. Elizabeth shifted into a business management program with a healthcare focus and immediately knew she had found the right direction. After a national championship win and years of dedication as a competitive dancer, she made the decision to step away and fully invest in her future career. She transitioned to online classes and began gaining real-world experience in the field.

Elizabeth now works in patient access at an emergency room and trauma center in Dallas. On weekend nights, she is the only person running her department from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Trauma arrivals, urgent registrations, calls from across the hospital and coordination between departments all land on her desk.

“You have to learn how to prioritize quickly and communicate with everyone,” she said. “At the end of the day, we’re all there for the patient.”

She has built strong relationships with nurses, physicians and imaging teams, learning how to bridge gaps between departments during high-pressure moments. Those experiences are shaping the kind of leader she hopes to become.

“We’re starting to see a disconnect between clinical and administrative roles,” she said. “That’s something I really want to change.”

Recently, Elizabeth decided to look back at her own journey in a very intentional way. She requested her medical records, a document that stretched well over a hundred pages, and spent hours reading through the details of her care. As she worked through each page, she compiled the names of the providers who had been part of her journey and began reaching out to thank them.

The responses led to something she never expected. Elizabeth was invited to observe a surgery in Houston, giving her a closer perspective on the clinical side. She also reconnected with members of her care team, including Ludwik Branski, M.D., a specialist in surgical reconstruction of severe burns.

Elizabeth continues to use her story to advocate for burn safety. Crawfish boils remain a staple in her Louisiana roots, and her family still gathers around them with a greater sense of awareness and care. On social media, she shares reminders about simple precautions and the unpredictability of accidents.

Elizabeth has also connected with other burn survivors and fellow Shriners Children's patients across the country, forming relationships that continue to inspire her. In May 2026, she is set to graduate with her degree in healthcare administration and envisions herself returning to Shriners Children’s Texas, this time as a professional ready to give back.

“I know what it’s like to be the patient in a hospital bed,” she said. “I understand what families go through. And I would love to be a part of the hospital that helped me so much."