COVID Lockdown Lightning Rod Shelley Luther is ‘Fighting for Her Life’

Shelley Luther soared into the national spotlight in 2020 for pushing back on coronavirus lockdown measures. Now, the Dallas salon owner-turned-conservative political darling is reportedly "fighting for her life" in the ICU.

Luther refused in spring 2020 to temporarily shutter her business, Salon à la Mode, during a time when Gov. Greg Abbott had ordered barbershops and hair salons to cease operations in an effort to slow COVID-19 transmissions. Her defiant stance ultimately landed her a seven-day jail sentence, although she spent around two days behind bars before being released.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz would later stop by her salon for a haircut, and she's since rubbed elbows with the likes of guitarist and conservative activist Ted Nugent. Luther also ran for Texas Senate in 2020 but lost to then-state Rep. Drew Springer.

Husband Tim Georgeff has updated Luther's followers regarding her recent health struggles via social media. In a Facebook post last Wednesday, he reportedly asked for prayers, writing: "Shelley had a brain aneurysm last night and is having emergency surgery right now."

A virtual fundraiser has since been created to support Luther and Georgeff on GiveSendGo, the Christian crowdfunding website. It had raised nearly $15,000 of its $25,000 monthly goal as of late Wednesday morning.

"Two of our closest friends created this portal if you feel led to give something to help us out," Georgeff wrote on Luther's Facebook page on Wednesday morning. "While it’s somewhat embarrassing, and in no way are we placing our burdens on anyone else, the harsh reality is this situation is long term, and is severely impacting how our lives are going to be moving forward."

The previous day, Georgeff posted that Luther had "suffered an aneurysm and hemorrhage of her carotid artery" last week. He added that she underwent multiple procedures and surgeries and "remains in the ICU on a ventilator fighting for her life."

Wednesday marks "day eight in the ICU," Georgeff wrote, adding that Luther still hasn't regained consciousness. He continued: "We have no idea of the severity of the damage to her brain and what the rehabilitation is going to be, we just know that this is going to take a long time and require a lot of care"