Coral Keen’s eventing blog: ‘At the moment everything else in life feels irrelevant’
Monday was a desperately sad day with the news that Hannah Francis had passed away. I had the privilege of calling her my friend and when I heard the news I was devastated.
It’s always a shock when someone you know passes away let alone a young lady of that age. It is such a sad loss for all those who knew her and those who were inspired and touched by her courage. I can only imagine what her family must be going through.
At the moment everything else in life feels irrelevant and writing a blog about what I’ve been up to is nothing but self-absorbed. I’ve been sat at my keyboard trying to talk about the horses who are all going beautifully and have delivered some fantastic results, but I just keep thinking of Hannah and what a profound and life-changing effect she had on me.
She was always so humble, she didn’t expect anything from anyone and if anyone did anything for her she was so grateful. Even in the darkest hours when she was in so much pain she was always so thoughtful and no matter how poorly she was, she just wanted to be a normal 18-year-old girl. She had so much love to offer and she had so many dreams and she was determined not to give up on them, which drove her on even more. Throughout it all she was selfless and she never gave up fighting.
I’ve learned so much from Hannah. When I get stressed or start to worry about something in life I think of her, and even though she is no longer here, I will always think of her. Knowing her has made me look at the bigger picture and I will always be spurred on by her attitude, courage and braveness. I know she’d be a little bit cross if she thought I wasn’t carrying on as normal, but for the moment at least my thoughts are with her. Thank you Hannah for being such an inspiring friend.
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Like this? You might also enjoy reading these:
Coral Keen’s eventing blog: a great Luhmuhlen and an exciting new arrival
Coral Keen’s eventing blog: All systems go
Coral Keen’s eventing blog: getting out of a sticky situation
Let’s all please keep Hannah’s legacy going. No matter how small you think your contribution might be, please support Hannah’s Willberry Wonder Pony charity so that it grows beyond even Hannah’s dream. We all owe it to a truly inspirational and wonderful person who has touched the hearts of so many people.
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Coral
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Coral joined H&H's stable of bloggers after we followed her as a first-timer at Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials. She is a British event rider (DOB 08/07/1987) who is based in Wiltshire. Her top horse is Wellshead Fare Opposition, born 2004, by Fleetwater Opposition.