Obituary of Hannah Lucia Florence Arnold
Hannah Lucia Florence Arnold - affectionately known as Hannah Banana, Hanny, and Moosh - passed away at the tender age of 11 on Friday September 27, 2024. She spent the last five weeks of her life in hospice at her beloved “airbnb” The Darling Home for Kids in Milton. In her last days she was peaceful and smiling.
Born to her parents Lucas and Maria Arnold – Hannah was truly an angel on earth. She carried her cross with grace and courage.
Hannah was born in Milton on October 22, 2012 at the Milton District Hospital.
Growing up alongside her older sister Emily and younger brother Samuel; Hannah was an inspiration. She loved Emily and Samuel so much. On her medical journey with BPAN, Hannah battled many setbacks; yet triumphed over and over, all while Emily and Samuel encouraged and cheered her on.
Hannah loved her Nanna and Grandpa (Beth and Jake Arnold); Abuela and Abuelo (Marta and Hector Barquero), her cousins Abby, Isaac, Jon, and Henry. She was dear to all her Aunts and Uncles (Carmen and Jeff Falkingham, Ryan and Peggy Arnold, Sophia Barquero and Admir Badnjevic, Hector and Sarah Barquero, Cesar Barquero and Raquel Wall). She was loved from afar by her extended family in El Salvador; Costa Rica, Texas, Melbourne Australia and Victoria BC.
Hannah will be remembered for her love of Eric Carle; Yo Gabba Gabba, swimming, music, dancing and all things Disney. A true miss independent, lover of animals and books and a fashionista with a matching collection of sunglasses. Cheesies and Goldfish crackers brought Hannah great enjoyment.
Hannah was a happy soul with a radiant smile and a “no-fuss” attitude. On her good days she was a social butterfly who loved being with her best friends, Abby, Alison and Addison.
Hannah's early life was filled with countless hours of a variety of therapies. BPAN disease brought many developmental and physical challenges for Hannah; yet with God's mercy she met wonderful therapists who in the end helped her find her voice; walk and ride a bike with assistance, feed herself and play with her toys. She worked very hard to be as independent as she could. Hannah took on these challenges with a tremendous amount of courage and succeeded at her own pace.
Through it all we discovered her love for odd sounds; ripping tape or paper, pig and horse noises, car washes, rumbling motorcycles and shaky rattles, these would bring out the loudest belly laughs and the most beautiful smiles. Hannah loved her school community. Her education began in preschool at KidzKorner in Milton. Moving on to Our Lady of Victory Catholic Elementary school where she completed JK to grade 1. Then off she went to St. Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Elementary Community Living Classroom in Oakville for grades 1-3. Lastly, she completed grades 4-6 at St. Patrick's in Lucan. Hannah leaves behind a community of loving educators; support staff and students. Her faithfulness in God was nurtured at a very young age and her life was dedicated to teaching people about Acceptance, Unconditional Love and Faith.
Hannah’s life, though brief, was a beacon of love, hope, and faith. She touched many people's lives including those of the special needs community and BPAN family. She will forever be remembered for her radiant spirit and the positive impact she had on everyone she met.
We would like to give a special thanks to all those that helped Hannah and our family these last 11 years; our Milton family - your support and love gave us hope through some of the most challenging times, the community services in Milton and London-Middlesex, the wonderful doctors at McMaster Children's Hospital in Hamilton, SickKids in Toronto and the Children’s Hospital of London. We thank the nurses and personal support workers that came to our home via WeeCare Pediatric Home Health Care Inc. We also want to thank the generosity of our new community in Ilderton - your kindness and love have helped us stay strong these last two years. Lastly, we couldn't have given Hannah a peaceful and comfortable death without the incredible care and support provided by the staff, nurses and personal support workers at the Darling Home for Kids. It truly was a magical place for our Hannah.
In honour of Hannah we ask that you wear a pair of sunglasses to the visitation.
Visitation will be held on Tuesday October 1 from 2:00 - 4:00 pm and 7:00 - 9:00 pm at John T. Donohue Funeral Home,362 Waterloo Street, London.
Funeral Mass will be held on Wednesday October 2 at 11:00am at Saint Patrick’s Parish, 32922 Richmond Street, Lucan, ON.
Interment to follow at St. Patrick’s Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, those wishing to make a donation in memory of Hannah are asked to donate to Darling Home For Kids by CLICKING HERE
