Vivian Abigail Shaw, daughter of Jodi Evonne (Schumaker) and Douglas Edward Shaw was born August 2, 2002 and taken to her eternal life to be greeted by the loving arms of Jesus at 9:52 pm Wednesday, November 7, 2018 in Hilton Head Island, SC.
Abbi was surrounded by her family and immense love when she left this earth.

She battled many times to live during her sixteen years and endured so much more than any child should. Abbi was a patient at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital for her entire life. Her courage and strength cannot be described as she faced cancer at 5 months old and again at 15 years old, a heart transplant, and multiple complications from the numerous treatments.

As Abbi's family, we wanted to write an obituary that described how extraordinary and amazing this beautiful young lady was; that is not possible. You had to truly know her to take it all in. If you did not get the opportunity to know Abbi, then I'm so sorry for what you missed. Her soul was kind. Every part of her being was gentle. She had a love for life, music, and adventure. Abbi spent many hours cuddled with her mom during her long treatments watching Ellen, Gordon Ramsey, and videos of precious puppies. She was inspired by their kindness and ability to create smiles during the toughest of times. Abbi began planning their further trips to see the world and get her very own French Bulldog. She wanted to do good things in order to help others and tell her unique story once we figured it all out, but sadly science had not yet arrived at the solutions she needed.

Abbi continues to give back to this broken world through her last gesture of love for others, the ultimate gift of donating her body to science for research in hopes of finding ways to defeat this vicious cancer that she fought so fiercely. No medical research was available to help Abbi due to the rareness of this disease so she had to be the experiment. We pray that the scientist at St. Jude will be able to get answers before it strikes again and another family is forced to face this monster.

Abbi leaves behind to cherish her memory her loving parents, brother, Madison "Sonny" Reagan Shaw (Olney, IL), sisters, Julia Eden Shaw and Eva Grace Shaw (Nashville TN), half sisters, Madelynn Frazier (Memphis, TN), Meagan Dincauze (Osman) (Fort Myers, FL) maternal grandparents, Carolyn Schumaker (Foster) and Doc Drake (Olney, IL), paternal grandfather, Harry Russel Shaw (Southaven, MS), maternal great grandmother, Vivian Lorraine Foster (Hammond)(Dundas, IL), maternal aunts, Stormy Schumaker (Andrea) (Indianapolis, IN), Jeanne Johnston (Cuba, MO ), maternal uncles, Adam Schumaker (Diann)(Hohenwald, TN), Isaac Capps (Sayeh) (Satellite Beach, FL), paternal uncles, Butch Shaw (Southaven, MS), Howard Shaw (Southaven, MS), Bob (Cheryl) Shaw (Southaven, MS), and her large crew of loving cousins, great aunts, uncles, and her devoted dog, Chip.

Abbi was greeted in Heaven by her paternal grandmother, Hulda Lee Shaw (Hawkins), maternal grandfather, Clifford Jean Capps aka Frank Edward Schumaker, maternal great grandfather, Hartley Leander Foster, paternal aunt, Mitzi Lee Mitchell (Shaw), maternal aunt, Debra Demetroff, as well as cousins, St. Jude friends, Danny Thomas, and possibly her own heart donor.

Family and friends are invited to join the Celebration of Life Services to honor the gift of Vivian Abigail. They will be held on Tuesday November 20th, 6:00pm at Southaven First United Methodist Church, Southaven, MS and Saturday November 24th, 11am at Richland County High School auditorium , Olney, IL.

Abbi will be missed each and every day for the rest of our lives. We hope her difficult journey will encourage you to love your children and one another more deeply, and not take your life, health, and time here for granted.

Memorials are suggested to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (Patient 19529) as they continue to search for answers and cures for Abbi's friends, and for those about to be thrown into the world of pediatric cancer from which no family is exempt.

On behalf of our entire family, we want to thank the numerous people who cared for our darling daughter for so many years at St. Jude and LeBonheur Children's Hospitals. We are forever grateful for the prayers and support from all of our families, friends, communities, and church families. Our beautiful warrior is free of pain and able to smile and dance again and for that we are thankful. Proverbs 3:5.
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Abbi was diagnosed with AML and CNS Leukemia at just 5 months old. She was able to achieve remission through high does chemotherapy, along with an actual miracle during her first year of life.
The toxicity of treatment caused Abbi to be diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and pulmonary hypertension. She was treated with medications and watched very closely for several years. Abbi's heart went into failure and she received a heart transplant at 13 years old. She woke up from surgery on Valentine's Day with the truest gift of love that one could ever receive, the gift of hope from her donor. We are forever grateful to the unknown person who chose to help us and think of them and their family every single day.
Abbi had several bumps along the way as solid organ transplant requires an immense amount of timed medications, doctor visits, and procedures for the rest of your life. She has had a couple of serious infections because of simple things that can turn into major problems in those who have weakened immune systems. It all becomes a tedious balance of immune suppression to keep her heart from having rejection and maintaining normal lab levels so as not to become toxic and harm your other organs.
On Abbi's 15th birthday she received the news of another issue in her medical journey. During her routine heart Cath, it was discovered that her donor had their own undiagnosed birth defect. This was a first for pediatric medical history. Abbi was then being treated for this with additional medications as it is our responsibility and privilege to care for her donors heart just as we did for Abbi's own.
After that same Cath in August, Abbi began having severe stomach and side pain when she stood or walked. Many weeks of testing, doctors visits, and frustration over not being able to figure out what was happening inside her little body came to a crashing halt in October when CT imaging found a much bigger problem than we suspected. Abbi was diagnosed with a very rare disease called EBV SMT. Epstein Barr Virus Smooth Muscle Tumors. Only 30 people on this planet have ever had this diagnosis prior to Abbi so the facts, treatment, and medical research are very limited. We are very fortunate to have an amazing team of doctors at LeBonheur Children's Hospital Heart Institute and at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital to agree to help us.
Her compromised immune system could not fight off the common virus that 90 percent of us carry. This horrible virus invaded her system and caused numerous tumors in her body. Multiple cancers began. She started chemo but the tumors have continued to grow, multiple, and spread. Abbi started the unknown journey of TCell transplants in hopes of her miracle.
Cancer relentlessly spread through Abbi's body. She endured unimaginable pain and heartache for what she faced. After 15 months of trials for treatment options Abbi transitioned home for eternity.
Abbi gave all she had to pediatric cancer research all 16 years of her life. We pray that somehow through this other children and families will be spared, and answers for a cure will be found. We will always support St. Jude for the research and Hope they provide. This amazing hospital will forever be a part of our family.
We love and miss Abbi every single day. Somehow the sun continues to rise each morning, although it will never be quite as beautiful as it once was. Until we are reunited forever we must carry the pain of losing our child. God please hurry.
We will do all we can to help others in our remaining time here through intentional awareness, support, and acts of kindness.
May God bless and keep you all close to Him in your journey