Shanna Hogan

Bestselling author and Arizona State University instructor Shanna Hogan died Tuesday morning at a hospital after a near-drowning incident last week left her in critical condition.

Hogan, 37, leaves behind her 15-month-old son Zander, husband Matt LaRussa, and countless family and friends.

"Her light, though, will continue to shine on us all," said Christia Gibbons, Hogan's former teacher and close friend who spoke on behalf of the family, in a Facebook post on Wednesday. "We are better people for having had her in our lives."