Helen Keller

Helen Keller (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Helen_Keller.jpg)

Helen Adams Keller was born on June 27, 1880, in the small town of Tuscumbia, Alabama. Her parent's names were Arthur Henley Keller and Kate Adams Keller. Helen was born with full sight and hearing. She was a beautiful little girl with blond hair and blue eyes. Her family wasn't wealthy when she was born. Her father was a cotton plantation owner and editor of a weekly local newspaper, the "North Alabamian." Her mother worked on the plantation, but also saved money by making her own butter, lard, bacon, and ham.

In February 1882 Helen was nineteen months old when she fell ill. At the time doctors called it "Brain Fever," because they didn't really know what it was. For many days they expected her to die. Her mother began to notice that her daughter began failing to respond to the dinner bell or when she passed her hand in front of her face. It became apparent that the illness left her deaf and blind.

The following years were very hard for the family. Helen became a very difficult child by: smashing dishes and lamps, throwing terrible tantrums, and screaming. By the time she was six the family became desperate. They traveled to a specialist who said she would never speak again, but they shouldn't give up hope. On March 3, 1887, Helen arrived at a house in the small town of Tuscumbia and for the first time she met Anne Sulivan. Anne lost a lot of her sight at the age of five. Anne started teaching Helen how to finger spell. Anne taught her table manners. Over weeks Helen's behavior improved. After a month Helen fully understood meanings of words. Helen's progress was astonishing! Anne taught her braille and how to write with both ordinary and braille typwriters.

Everyone thought she was a phenomenon. She became so famous she even got to meet Alexandra Graham Bell and visited President Cleveland at the White House. In 1894 Helen met John D. Wright and Dr. Thomas were planning to set her up to attend Humason School for the Deaf. Helen entered Radcliffe College in 1900. It was a lot of work for Helen and Anne. On June 28, 1904 Helen finally graduated!

Helen and Anne spoke to many people around the world about their experiences. In October of 1961, she suffered many strokes and died. She was cremated in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and her funeral was held at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. Helen Keller was an inspiration to so many people, that's why she's MY hero!