Rita Antoine Hardini

Rita Antoine Hardini, of Lebanese nationality.

On the first of October 1991 Rita was born in Medawar- Karantina, to parents Antoine and Yolla Hardini, and to two siblings, Jack and Marc.

Rita went to private schools in Beirut without enrolling in university.

Rita had always been special. Ever since she was a little girl, she was kind, smart, organized, and always a step ahead. She loved life and took pleasure in sharing her happiness and joy with those around her. Rita never knew what it meant to hate or cause pain, and always wore a smile on her lips. She lived life peacefully.

In addition to her being part of the charitable association “Faith and Light” and attending its meetings, funerals and prayers, Rita was also working at Colibri Hotel.

Rita had many dreams, such as owning a Ferrari car, having a private office to work in, travelling, and many more dreams. All those dreams ceased to exist on the fourth of August.
On that day, Rita was home with her family. She was in her bedroom while her father and brother Jad were looking out the window at the fire in the port. Moments later, the explosion happened and the whole family was injured. Rita was getting out of her room with a bleeding neck when she saw her father bleeding as well. It was then that she started screaming “DON’T DIE! DON’T DIE!”.

Two weeks had passed before Rita started losing conscious irregularly, which required transferring her to a hospital. It turned out she had been having a series of strokes without her even realizing it. Her heart started enlarging, and she began having difficulties breathing, as well as irregular heartbeat, which lead to her having to use an oxygen bottle.

Rita was born with down syndrome. After the explosion her immunity slowly started deteriorating, therefore worsening the pain she’s been struggling with, which lead to her using cortisone to numb the pain. Rita stayed home and never left the house unless for doctor visits. It was on Saturday night 26 of March 2022 that the pain and agony got the best of her.

Her funeral was held on the 28th of March in Saint Michael church.