Hannah Belle Shaw was born in Moses Lake Washington on July 6th 1999 . She is the 11th of 12 children born to Mark and Cindy Shaw. Her brothers and sisters are: Brigham, Camilla, Levi, Dallin, Sterling, Emma, Rebekah, Hyrum, Isaac, Ammon and of course her darling little sister Holly. At the time of her birth the family home was in Othello.
Hannah’s arrival brought untold joy and happiness to the family. She was an angel child. Her disposition was calm and sweet. She was completely undemanding, so much so that her feedings had to be scheduled as she wouldn’t cry when she was hungry. She was just content and pleasant. The whole family very quickly became overwhelmed with attachment to her. Even as an infant it seemed as though her spirit filled the room. Her heavenly influence was always there.
She went to preschool at Lutagaga Elementary in Othello and had two very special teachers; Heidi Wagner and Charity Michael. Hannah loved school, and she especially loved riding the school bus. When her dad retired from the Postal Service he took a job as a bus driver, which was so exciting for Hannah. She was elated to ride his bus. On one occasion as she was sitting in the back of daddy’s bus, it bounced over a bump, from the back of the bus a little voice loudly exclaimed “nice DAD”.
Everyone that worked with Hannah couldn’t help but fall completely in love with her, which at times could be frustrating because she was quite guarded, and rarely showed open affection (a trait she no doubt inherited from her father). If you got a snuggle or a high five or a fist pump you knew you had accomplished something special.
Hannah was brutally honest in her communication with you. If she liked something she responded with open pleasure and unabashed excitement. We loved to give Hannah gifts and she LOVED to receive them! However, the giver was as, or more important, than the gift. For example, not too long before Hyrum left on the mission he and Hannah had had a little tiff you might say, a rough spot in the relationship. Well, this was at Christmastime and he had wrapped up a little train whistle for her. When she opened it she was delighted, until she found out it was from Hyrum- when he told her HE was the giver of the gift she immediately chucked it across the room. We all burst into laughter. But let’s make it known that the tiff was just a little temporary ripple in their relationship. Just days later, as Hyrum boarded the plane for the missionfield in far away Brazil, Hannah sat down on the floor of the airport terminal and wept and could hardly be consoled. She loved her brother. She loves her brothers and sisters.
Just recently and shortly before her passing while she lay in a semi sedated condition and struggling to breath, her siblings came to her bedside. When she became aware of their presence, as they came into the room and she heard their voices, she rose up in her bed to a sitting positon and we could not get her to lay down. Her neck was so weak that she could hardly hold up her head, but she was determined to engage with the family. As she struggled we all became heartsick; to allow her to “come to” would be excruciating for her physically, yet to deny her was to be excruciating for her emotionally. The nurses gave her additional pain medications and sedatives to help her to lie back, but she continued to struggle. Rebekah had made her a beautiful family album to enjoy while she layed in her bed. They brought the album on this occasion and when she saw it she reached out her hands and clutched onto it. We had to literally pry it out of her arms. How she loved her family. We were her whole world.
As a small child Hannah continued to be the centerpiece of the Shaw home. As her personality emerged we began to see her for who she was and she quickly gained absolute seniority in the family. Although her language skills were inadequate by normal standards she had the ability to communicate with absolute clarity. We found ourselves often asking “who is this child”?
Having 7 older brothers was no challenge for this little sergeant. It was clear she had led brigades in the life before. She was fearless, which was an attribute she called upon later as she faced her battle with cancer.
How we enjoyed her. And she found her joy in us.
In 2008, just after she turned nine years old, the family moved to Richland.
Late in September of 2009 Hannah became very ill, and on October 1st 2009 she was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. She was sent to Seattle Children’s Hospital where she underwent chemotherapy. She also underwent radiation therapy at University of Washington during that time. Hannah’s treatment at the hospital lasted one year and two weeks, and then she had additional daily treatments at home for another 15 months. Throughout this time she remained the light of our lives. As we watched her unflinchingly take the assault of the harsh drugs, we were all amazed at her resilience and submissive spirit. Bearing in mind that she didn’t fully comprehend just why she was so sick, she just continued on to endure almost routinely the onslaught of drugs. She never once complained. We felt that her limited capacity to understand the severity of her disease was a blessing to her. She loved the kindness and attention she got from the loving staff at the Hospital. The Dr.s and nurses adored her, and at her passing there was a barrage of hospital professionals who filled the room in tears. Each expressing how “special” Hannah was and how she had blessed their lives.
She passed away from us and into the presence of loved ones beyond the veil at 10:00 am on June 11, 2013.
How she will be missed. Our home is quiet and the silence is deafening. The sounds of her activity and enchanting personality have been replaced with quiet thoughts and contemplations as we sit and remember and consider the joy we will have when we surely will meet her again.
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