Since the current price of the shirt, $7.98, is half of its original price \( p \), we can represent that relationship with the equation:
\[ 7.98 = \frac{1}{2} p \]
To find the original price \( p \), we can multiply both sides of the equation by 2:
\[ 2 \times 7.98 = p \]
Now perform the multiplication:
\[ p = 15.96 \]
Therefore, the original price of the shirt is \( p = 15.96 \) dollars.