Audrey Hepburn

Audrey Hepburn (http://www.boston.com/community/photos/raw/2008/12 (Yousuf Karsh))

Audrey Hepburn was born on May 4, 1929 in Brussels, Belgium. Her father was an English banker, and was very involved with politics. Audrey's mother did not want her to grow up around that, so she was sent off to boarding school. There she came out of her shell. Audrey developed a love of dance, mainly ballet. She even continued dancing when she moved to Holland during World War 2. After the war she tried to become a prima ballerina, but she was too old and too tall. Since Audrey could not be a ballerina like she always wanted, she started to act in movies and theatre productions. The movie that led to her fame was Roman Holiday. She was in several other films like Breakfast at Tiffany's, My Fair Lady, The Nun's Story, Sabrina, and many more. As she got older she did more work for UNICEF. Audrey went on missions to help children all over the world, even when she was diagnosed with cancer. She died on January 20, 1993 in Switzerland. Audrey Hepburn is my hero because she overcame adversity, helped others, and she never gave up.

Audrey Hepburn overcame adversity because she was in Holland when the Nazi's took over. She watched German soldiers put men against a wall and shoot at them. One day her uncle was one of those men. One of her brothers was sent to work in a factory in Berlin. Her other brother went into hiding underground so he would not be sent to a factory as well. Audrey had to hide with her mother in a house that was overflowing with people. She would dance in the basement to raise money for the Resistance against the Nazis. Eventually she had to stop dancing because she was so weak from hunger. She would read to take her mind off it, but it was always there. After the war UNICEF came and brought medical help and food. She suffered from asthma, jaundice, and severe edema do to malnutrition. She overcame adversity because she got through World War 2.

Audrey Hepburn helped others because she worked for UNICEF. UNICEF stands for United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund. She went on missions like a polio vaccine in Turkey, a training camp for women in Venezuela, drought and food shortage in Ethiopia, poor children working on the streets of Ecuador. She also brought clean water to Guatemala and Honduras, taught people to read in El Salvador, brought food and medical help to people in Vietnam, and helped homeless children in Sudan find homes. She did many amazing things to help the poor children all over the world. Audrey was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by George W. Bush for her hard work and persistence with UNICEF.

Audrey Hepburn never gave up because she was diagnosed with cancer in 1993. Even with that struggle, she continued to travel with UNICEF and give to other people. She even worked with UNICEF in the last months of her life. She probably should have been in the hospital, but she kept working. She never gave up on UNICEF, and the children whose lives she was improving. Audrey had a rare cancer that started in her appendix. She refused chemotherapy, which I think was mistake because she died on January 20, 1993 in Switzerland. She never gave up in everything that she did, with the UNICEF and her acting career.

In conclusion, Audrey Hepburn was a very inspiring person. She was a Hollywood actress, and yet she still gave back to all of the children in need. She survived the tragic World War 2, and I think that inspired her to help other children that were in similar situations. Audrey was diagnosed with cancer, but she continued working with UNICEF to help other people. She was selfless because she could have lived a comfortable life in Hollywood. Instead she gave of herself and risked her life to go to all of these poor, dangerous countries to help the children living there. Audrey Hepburn is my hero because she changed the world.