Sharon Stevens, the hairdresser whose heroic efforts to save a young girl in need of a liver transplant inspired the Netflix film Ordinary Angels, has retired from her profession and now lives quietly in Louisville, Kentucky, with her two sons. The film, starring Hilary Swank, recounts the true story of how Stevens helped three-year-old Michelle Schmitt reach Omaha for a life-saving transplant during a record-breaking snowstorm in January 1994.
Stevens learned of the family's plight through a newspaper article and quickly mobilised to raise funds for medication, travel, and medical bills. She also used radio broadcasts to rally hundreds of volunteers to clear a path for a helicopter to transport Michelle to a nearby airport, from where a private jet flew her to Omaha for the operation.
Now retired, Stevens remains committed to supporting children in need, recently highlighting the case of a child with medical issues. She is a regular at church events and describes herself as a “Protestant Christian soldier who loves all people but dislikes bad behaviour”. In recent years, she has faced health challenges, including surgery to remove a stent after kidney stones and a severe head injury from a car accident around 2010, which continues to affect her life.
Her son Derek, who has cared for her since the accident, encouraged her to write about her experiences. Stevens attended the film's premiere alongside Michelle's father, Ed, and they remain friends. The film took some creative liberties: Stevens was not an alcoholic, though she gave filmmakers permission to add that element, and her close real-life bond with Derek was replaced with a tense relationship on screen. The character Rose, who co-owns the salon, is fictional and does not appear in Stevens's memoir.
