Faith Shaw

Faith Mackenzie Shaw, age 18, died November 12, 2019, in Chapel Hill, NC, due to complications from Cystic Fibrosis and a double-lung transplant.

Faith is survived by her mother, Susan Shaw; sisters, Kelsey Biggers (Jarrett) and Jennifer Wilson (James); nephew Gabriel Biggers and niece Kyla Biggers; grandparents, Donald & Shirley Tobin and Michael & Ann Brooks; uncles, David Brooks (Tateyana) and Timothy Brooks (Fiona); cousins, Michael Brooks, Charlotte Brooks and Hannah Brooks; along with many other family and friends that she deeply loved.

Faith was born on May 15th, 2001 in Concord, NC, to mother Susan Shaw. Faith was a senior at Hickory Ridge High School in Harrisburg and was preparing for graduation with the Class of 2020. She was very active in her church, West Concord Baptist, and had a deep-rooted faith in her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The trust in her faith as she faced the daily struggles of Cystic Fibrosis head on was inspiring to all who had the pleasure to know her or follow her story.

Faith embodied strength, perseverance, determination, grace and passion for living life to the fullest. She never let cystic fibrosis define her and chose to live life on her terms to the best of her ability in spite of the many challenges her illness threw at her. She taught those around her what it was to truly live, to truly love and to find victory in whatever fight life requires of you.

She had many passions, particularly in dance, art, and photography. Faith danced competitively for 6 years, performing group, duo, and solo performances at local, national, and world competitions. She danced with an unmatched determination, pursuing it even when her disease made it difficult and required her to recover with oxygen after rehearsals and performances. One year, she even performed a solo, complete with her oxygen tank, to a song titled “Breathe” in order to tell her story with Cystic Fibrosis through a medium for which she found so much joy.

Faith also had a deep love for her family and friends. Even as a child, she had a natural way of drawing people to her, and her family would say that she walked the red carpet wherever she went. This tendency continued all through her life, and she developed many close relationships through school, church, and family who loved and supported her on the journey of her fight for life.

A service to celebrate Faith’s life is scheduled for 2:00 pm on Saturday, December 7th, 2019, at West Concord Baptist Church with a reception to follow at the same location. Rev. Aaron Thomas will officiate. All are welcome and encouraged to attend and celebrate her life together as a community. The family would like to thank the many family, friends and prayer warriors near and far for their continuous prayers and encouragement throughout Faith’s journey with Cystic Fibrosis and her fight to live life large. They would also like to thank the donor who provided Faith with new lungs on January 14th, 2019, without which they would not have been blessed with these past 10 months of Faith’s life, joys and experiences.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in Faith’s name. Or donations can be made towards the Shaw family’s expenses via the Lungs4Faith GoFundMe campaign or mailed directly to West Concord Baptist Church at 225 Warren C Coleman Blvd, Concord, NC 28027.

www.gofundme.com/lungs4faith.