While hiking the Haute Route in Switzerland with her husband, she slipped off the trail and fell approximately 200-300 feet. She was airlifted to a nearby hospital, where she underwent an extensive emergency surgery for multiple spinal fractures, several broken ribs, an pneumothorax, and additional injuries including traumatic brain injury (TBI) and right shoulder trauma. After about a week in Switzerland, Shirlee was medically transported back to Minnesota for continued treatment and rehabilitation.