Although Hannah Beth Richards had autism, epilepsy, and other disabilities during her nine years of life, they did not define her. Instead, she is remembered for her love of laughter and the ability to find joy in the simplest things. "Hannah wasn't just on the spectrum," said her mother, Sarah. "She was every color in it."
Hannah's life, though brief, was filled with adventures, imagination, and love. She cherished receiving hugs, drinking homemade milkshakes, eating Chick-fil-A, playing with kinetic sand, doing anything involving stickers, watching magnetic ball videos on YouTube, splashing in the backyard blowup pool, and taking field trips to the park. Her favorite song was "Sunshine on My Shoulders" by John Denver.
As part of a family of faith, Sarah recalls Paul's words to the Christian Church in Rome: "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn" (Romans 12:15). This scripture epitomized Hannah, as she loved watching others have fun, but seeing or hearing others sad deeply upset her.
Hannah was a very caring young lady. One of her service projects involved making "Get Well" cards for the kids at the Ronald McDonald House, allowing her to combine her love of emojis and stickers. She brought smiles to strangers at the grocery store by showing off the handmade love beads she always wore.
Hannah was homeschooled, and Sarah loved being her teacher. Sarah was so proud of teaching her daughter to read, but it was Hannah who taught her mother more than her mother could ever teach her. Because of Hannah, her little sister Amelia will always have a teacher. In addition to being homeschooled, Hannah attended the Autism Center at Lakeview five days a week, where she blossomed from a little girl into a preadolescent.
Hannah's fun, loving, and creative spirit thrived at home. The night before her passing, she helped build half of a LEGO globe with her father, Brian, who wanted to give her the world. Her final project with her mom was decorating foam snowflakes to turn their rec room into a winter wonderland à la Buddy the Elf.
When the doctor taking care of Hannah during the last hours of her life conveyed her dim prognosis, her family wanted to do what was best for their little girl, even if that meant taking her off life support to spare her from further pain or living with such severe brain damage that her quality of life would be nonexistent. Nevertheless, Hannah's family held out hope that something good could come from this devastating tragedy.
"I couldn't let her die in vain," Sarah said. "I wanted to do so much to honor her life, legacy, and memory."
When someone from LifeNet Health called Brian and told him that Hannah's heart valves, corneas, and other tissues could be recovered to help others, it was a small comfort. "Although Hannah is worth far more than the sum of her parts," Sarah said, "I am grateful for the gifts of her that she left behind—that will help those still completing their life journey. I could never repay Hannah for all the years of happiness she gave me; I can only pay it forward. Although I don't know to whom her contributions have gone, just knowing they are helping and will help someone, somewhere, someday, has helped me muddle through my grief."
Hannah donated life-saving heart valves for transplant and bone tissue for research that will contribute to therapies and treatments for muscular dystrophy.
Brian believes everyone has their own ministry. Part of Hannah's is donating one to three books a month to the Lakeview Autism Center, each "stamped" with a customized heart sticker of Hannah's art. These
books aren't from her family to her teachers but from Hannah to other children like her. Sarah has also created a nonprofit called Hannah's Love Beads. Each handmade string of beads has a lighthearted or life-affirming message. These necklaces are sold to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House, which offered a room for Sarah and her family in the hospital so they could be near Hannah. A necklace is also donated several times a year to the House as part of a care package, along with a corresponding book, among other items. Sarah also signed up to be a bone marrow donor, and a donation is made to St. Jude in Hannah's name on her birthday and at Christmas.
"I do these things because every time I do something good in Hannah's name," Sarah said, "I feel her right there with me – all the goodness and happiness of Hannah."