Ryan Hatfield, business sophomore, died on Oct. 28 at the age of 24 due to a lifelong battle with cystic fibrosis.
Close friend Nicole Ferguson, 21, said Hatfield’s friends were what brought him happiness in life.
“He loved his friends,” Ferguson said. “He would hang out with his friends as much as he possibly could. There wasn’t a lot that would stop him from hanging out with his friends and being around everybody.”
Ferguson said Hatfield’s friends provided a consistency in his life and granted him control over an aspect of his life.
“He knew his friends would always be there no matter what, and his health was something that was out of his control,” Ferguson said. “He couldn’t do anything but go get treatments. Whatever happened to him happened, but he knew his friends would always be there no matter what.”
Hatfield reinforced this sentiment on a recent Facebook status update prior to his death.
“I don’t say it enough, but I am truly blessed to have such great family and friends,” Hatfield said. “I love you all.”
On Wednesday nights, family and friends of Hatfield always knew where to find him.
“We would go to Beef ‘O’Brady’s every single Wednesday because it’s dollar beer night, and it was always the same group of people, and Ryan was always there,” Ferguson said. “Even when he would have to be on medicine and he couldn’t drink, he would still come up and order a Sprite and hang out with his friends.”
Several passions of Hatfield included camping, truck pulls, bonfires, fishing and simply being outdoors.
Despite living with cystic fibrosis, Ferguson said Hatfield refused to let the disease get in the way of living his life and pursuing the things he loved.
“He really didn’t let it affect him that much,” Ferguson said. “It totally changed his life, but he wouldn’t let it get in the way of anything. He didn’t really ignore it, but didn’t really think about it when he didn’t have to, which made him more carefree.”
Thomas Lambert, lecturer in economics, taught Hatfield in two economics classes and said he remembers Hatfield as doing exceptional work in the classroom.
“Ryan was a hard-working student who was very helpful to his teammates with a project that they had to do for a presentation,” Lambert said. “They all did excellent work.”
Hatfield can be fondly remembered as consistently wearing his cowboy boots, a plaid button-up shirt and a pair of Wrangler jeans — true to
cowboy form.
“He always had Wranglers, the cowboy boot-cut kind,” Ferguson said. “If they weren’t the boot-cut kind, he wouldn’t wear them. That’s just how he was.”
Ferguson said Hatfield and his family had been warned he may not live into adulthood, but Hatfield made the best of the time he was granted.
“He wasn’t supposed to live past 8-years-old, and he was 24,” Ferguson said. “He just made the most out of life like anybody would if they knew something like this might happen to them.”
Ferguson said Hatfield was a resilient and motivated individual.
“If he wanted to do something, he was going to do it,” Ferguson said. “He wasn’t going to let anything or anybody stop him. He had that outlook because he knew his life might not last that long.”
Often, Hatfield would get up and try again if he wasn’t able to achieve his goals the first time around.
“If he didn’t get something the first time he would try to do it again,” Ferguson said. “He was really determined, and there wasn’t a whole lot that could knock him off his path of what he was trying to do.”
When asked about specific memories of Hatfield, Ferguson said, without hesitation, she will always remember the time she and Hatfield went to a friend’s house to ride four wheelers.
“I was driving and Ryan was sitting behind me with another guy behind him,” Ferguson said. “We were all three on one seat. I came around this curve, and it went up on two wheels, and he screamed like a little girl. We laughed so hard, it was really, really funny.”
Ferguson said she could still remember how tightly Hatfield had his arms wrapped around her waist and how quickly he jumped off the four wheeler.
“He jumped off and said, ‘I’m never riding with you again,’” Ferguson said. “That was three years ago, and he rarely rode with me anywhere since, even in a car.”
Gil Atnip, vice chancellor for Academic Affairs, expressed the sentiment from IU Southeast upon learning the news of Hatfield’s death.
“The IU Southeast community is saddened to learn of the untimely passing of Ryan Hatfield,” Atnip said. “Although no words can ease the burden of their loss, we offer our deepest sympathy and our condolences to Ryan’s family and friends.”
A fundraiser will be held on Dec. 2 at Beef ‘O’Bradys in Floyds Knobs. Donations can be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in Hatfield’s honor.
In addition, 10 percent of Beef ‘O’Brady’s profits that day will be donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in Hatfield’s honor.
By ANNIE MALKA
Staff
amalka@umail.iu.edu