Anna

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 f

 

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.

 

Thanks Laj, appreciate it.

This is Anna -

[image=http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m309/timbolton/CE/CE_31.jpg]

 

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.

 

Thanks everyone, I'll pass on your thoughts. Appreciate it

 

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

 

Sad to hear about this.

Tim, my thoughts are with you and Anna's family.

 

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.