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Topic:
Anna
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timbolton
Title: Assistant CR
FF-UK: North
Registered:
Mar '03
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Date Posted:
5/26 9:30am
Subject:
Anna
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Posting this here since FFers who attented Jedi Con and CE will know Anna.
It’s with much sadness that I have to write this, but it’s also very important that it gets said. If this has been posted on your message forum or anywhere else, it’s because some of you either know Anna a little or are a friend of hers. So please take the time to read, and feel free to post a comment below. To make it easier to write, I’ll start with the really difficult bit first, and then hopefully head to more positive things later.
Anna Sarah Kelichhaus, who most of the online Star Wars community (especially Fan Force) would know as “Marani” (or “Marellia”), passed away in her sleep on Wednesday 9th April 2008 after a long battle with cancer. She was in her local hospital, in Goslar in Germany, with her Mum, Grandma and Aunt beside her. She had been diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2006.
Anna as some of you know was a huge Star Wars fan, and also a very creative fan. She wrote emotional fan fiction which she shared with the community and was working on fan art too. She loved Mara Jade, her fic and art featured Mara quite a bit, especially Mara’s various relationships with the characters around her. Anna’s illness had meant unfortunately she had given both of fan fic and fan art up temporarily just before she had died, because her vision had become impaired, but there was always the hope it would come back and she’d carry on writing. Anna had also set up a Star Wars Sims big-brother style blog, using mods applied to the game itself. Her blog recorded the Skywalker family getting up to all sorts of antics.
I met Anna for the first time at Celebration Europe after much correspondence via the Fan Force message boards. I was an ex-RSA for the Fan Force United Kingdom and was helping set up a meet and greet for any members from abroad who hadn’t travelled to London before and for people who preferred to have some friendly faces nearby on their day of arrival. Anna contacted me to ask if she could be part of the meet and greet, explained she was travelling alone by coach from Germany. She had previously told me she had cancer. So we arranged to meet at the coach station, since I’d be travelling down around the same time as her. I was a little delayed because of my train, and Anna being who she was decided she head towards where I was arriving, her bags in tow. We somehow ended up meeting in the London Underground, to be honest it was a close call because we hadn’t met before and it wasn’t so easy finding each other in the crowd. But it worked out in the end thankfully. I know she really enjoyed the meet and greet where she met quite a few people who became close friends, and also loved her time at Celebration Europe. She hadn’t been to anything like this before, so I am grateful for kindness and friendship people showed her. She stayed for a week after CE, I decided to change my plans and stay too, so she had some company and help close by.
After Celebration Europe there were varied times for Anna. She was on and off being ill, had many hospital visits. She left her flat which she shared with her boyfriend. Her sight worsened, which unfortunately led to her giving up some of the things she loved the most – writing, communicating with friends via the internet, etc. She moved back with her Grandma and Mother in Goslar, where they could look after her. But there was one thing that kept her focused, something she really aimed to do.
The moment CE was over, she had asked me to come to Jedi Con 2008 in Düsseldorf. We planned it all, and I know there were several times she was down because she was being told that she wouldn’t be well enough to attend, but in the end we did go. I arrived in Germany a day before we had to travel to Düsseldorf, and the next day we travelled by train. It was an exhausting journey for her, and I was worried. But we got there, and then attended the event for some hours, along with good friends Anne and Tom, who I am so grateful for – their support and friendship throughout gave me strength. The first night Anna couldn’t sleep well, her many pills weren’t working the way they usually do. I eventually went through to her room at about 5am to sit with her till she got sleepy. The next day her Mum travelled up and stayed with us, and Anna was eventually taken into hospital in Düsseldorf for checks. The hospital was named after Florence Nightingale. There the doctors said she had water on her lung, and she have to stay in a few days. Anna missed the rest of Jedi Con, though the guests of the show were amazing – they gave her a gift to keep and also did short video clips on my PSP camera, saying hello to Anna and passing on their best wishes. It made her smile, and I am eternally grateful to them for doing that. I know Daniel Logan will be forever on my list of great fan-friendly Star Wars actors for what he did at Jedi Con.
Jedi Con finished, and still Anna wasn’t being allowed out of hospital. I booked more time in the hotel, and visited when Anna felt well enough to see us. Anne stayed too, but by Wednesday Anna was asking me to head back to Goslar to collect my bags since my flight was on Friday. This was the most difficult time, I didn’t want to leave her in Düsseldorf, but I had to go along with her wishes. At that point the doctors were saying she’d be able to leave on Saturday, so there was hope she’d be out, but after I had to return back to England. I travelled back to Goslar, spent a night with Anna’s grandma who couldn’t speak English, nor I German, so we had a fun conversation via dictionary. I travelled back to England on Friday, waiting for news of Anna. It was next week when Anne rang me, and she had to pass on the bad news. Anna had made it back to Goslar on Saturday, where she saw her Gran again, but had fallen ill and taken into hospital, where she died in her sleep.
Anna had so much left to do in this world, so much more to give. She had become like a little sister to me, and she was such a wonderful person, never a bad word spoken. She didn’t have an easy life, but instead of letting that shape her negatively, she still saw the good out there and wanted to do so much. I miss her so much.
I have kept in touch with her family, and will continue to do so. If anyone has photos of Anna that the family would like to see, please let me know (boltontimothy@hotmail.com) since I am gathering a photo album for the family to keep of Anna’s friends and her hobbies. Anne and myself will be going out to Goslar in August of this year to see where Anna is buried and pay our respects, and visit her family. If anyone else wants to do that, you would be welcome to join us.
Thanks for listening, if you have any thing to say yourself, please leave a message below, I know her family would be grateful to hear what people thought of Anna, it’s only in her passing that they are realising what she meant to those outside her immediate family.
Tim
26.05.08 (it’s taken a long time to write this, apologies for that).
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Where have all the meets gone? Good old days are far far away 
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LAJ_FETT
Title: Tech Admin, CollectingCCG/TCG/Boardgames
Registered:
May '02
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Date Posted:
5/26 9:41am
Subject:
RE: Anna
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I met quite a few people at CE, and I'm not sure if she was one of them. However I am sorry to hear of her loss and her family and friends have my sympathy. 
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BF - 'Bounty Hunter Wars': "Don't be an idiot. Or at least not any more of one than you have to be." "All that matters is my life and my business." "I do the things I'm good at, and for which I get paid the best." http://www.members.aol.com/lajfett/
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timbolton
Title: Assistant CR
FF-UK: North
Registered:
Mar '03
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Date Posted:
5/26 10:07am
Subject:
RE: Anna
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Thanks Laj, appreciate it.
This is Anna -
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Skiara
Title: •WNU Mod
•FF Community RSA
Registered:
Nov '02
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Date Posted:
5/26 10:22am
Subject:
RE: Anna
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Although I haven't spoken to her a lot, I'm sorry that she had to go that early in her life.
Tim, I just went through all the pics I made at CE and I found a few of her. Although some aren't really good (made from the back), I'm going to send you all of the pics in a minute. Maybe you can use one or more of them. It's a nice idea! 
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Master of GodinKijken & WM55 e-hermanita de pirry "I can't keep track of you WNU kids" (Inty) "It is better to expect nothing and let each moment surprise you." Obi-Wan NFL, pillows, SW election? -> http://boards.theforce.net/fanforce_community/b10022/p1
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-Narya-
Registered:
Mar '05
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Date Posted:
5/26 10:51am
Subject:
RE: Anna
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I've met Anna at CE and have chatted with her over msn a couple of times... I recall the last time we chatted...
I was complaining about how nervous i was because I had my driving test the next day and she just told me that she felt the same because she also had a important day ahead of her... She had to go to hospital to get her breast amputated!
I was left speechless. First I've thought "why?" - I was left under the impression that she was getting better and then almost simultaneously I thought that I was the biggest idiot in the world. I was moaning about a driving test and she was going into surgery.
She wished me all the best luck with the test and again I was speechless. Such selflessness! She was wishing me luck while she was the one in need.
My grandmother was buried on the 24 Decembre 2007. She also died of cancer, so I know how much pain and suffering someone can go through...
I didn't have the chance to get to know Anna any better but such a nice person I will never forget! - R.I.P.
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The bird of the Hermes is my name
eating my wings to make me tame.
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Obi Anne
Title: FanForce RSA
Europe
Registered:
Nov '98
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Date Posted:
5/27 3:51am
Subject:
RE: Anna
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I heard earlier that she had passed away. Tim I also want you to know that you have been a wonderful person during this time, so helpful and not thinking about yourself at all.
My thoughts are with you and Anna's family.
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Tea one, proud member of the Tea Squad, FanForce Meeting 2006, Berlin  GSADMINCOACHEMPERORRULERPRESIDENTTSARMINISTERQUEEN liuba 
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timbolton
Title: Assistant CR
FF-UK: North
Registered:
Mar '03
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Date Posted:
6/1 2:54am
Subject:
RE: Anna
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Thanks everyone, I'll pass on your thoughts. Appreciate it
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Darth_Chrisious
Registered:
Jul '07
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Date Posted:
6/4 1:45pm
Subject:
RE: Anna
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Sorry to hear of anyone die at what looks like a very young age, especially a SW fan and someone who I would have got on well with, I did not know her but was at CE, RIP
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Grand_Admiral_Grant
Title: Ex-Mod
Registered:
Nov '04
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Date Posted:
6/9 3:16pm
Subject:
RE: Anna
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Sad to hear about this.
Tim, my thoughts are with you and Anna's family.
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Amon_Amarth
Registered:
Jan '05
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Date Posted:
6/13 3:27pm
Subject:
RE: Anna
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I'm so sorry to hear this. I only read it a few minutes a go and it really saddened me. I'm sorry she left the world so young.
Anna and I met in London, at CE and briefly talked over PM later. I read two of her pieces of fanfiction. Her writing style was very good, the short stories I read were interesting, emotional and unique. She had talent and SW community will miss it.
Tim, condolences to you and Anna's family. You were great for staying with her till the end. And thank you for posting this.
I have some pictures of Anna from the CE, I will be sending them to you soon.
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Jedi Guardian - Acolytes of Revan
"The Force is fine...but I would have preferred some company."
'Caenorhabditis elegans' is much better than Darth Plagueis at cheating death.
"Don't **** with the Jedi Master, son!" Mark Hamill, CE
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