Helen Adam Keller

Helen when she was little (google)

Imagine living in complete darkness and in a silent world. Picture yourself trying to communicate with people but couldn't. Visualize being born normal then being forced into a strange world. This exact thing happened to a child when she was only 19 months old.

On June 27 1880 in Tuscumbia, Alabama, Captain Arthur Keller, officer at the Confederate Army, and Kate Keller was blessed with a little baby girl. They named her Helen Adam Keller. When she was 19 months old she was diagnosed with a strange fever. After three agonising weeks, the fever slowly disappeared and was replaced with permanent blindness and deaf. It was difficult to communicate with her family because she was never taught how to speak. Throughout the next six years Helen had created over 60 signs to use to communicate with her family. Thought it was still hard for her family to understand her because some signs were the same. For example, the sign for ice cream was hugging her shoulder and shivering and wanting her doll was hugging herself. She would get angry because no one would fully understand her.

Helen’s parent began to worry; they contacted a tutor for her. Anne Sullivan turned up on their doorstep on 5th of March 1887. Helen’s father had given Anne two weeks to teach Helen how to communicate. Anne stayed in another house with Helen. Throughout that time she taught Helen how to spell but Helen didn't understand what the words meant because she hadn’t been exposed to those things before. When Helen’s parents arrived after the two weeks they were astounded at Helen’s achievement to spell. One morning, while Anne was thinking of a way to teach Helen the meanings of the words, she noticed Helen pumping out water from a water pump. She grabbed Helen’s hand and pumped water on to it then spelled water into her hand. Her whole world brightened before her eyes. She finally understood what water was! That day she had learnt, felt and understood 30 words. Throughout the rest of Helen’s life, she made the lives of many disabled people, especially the blind and deaf, become easier in the way of communicating and socialising with others. She wrote many inspirational speeches and books. Many plays and movies have been made about her life story and she would encourage people to do anything that they set their mind to and don’t let any fear get in the way.

Helen Keller was nearly like Jesus except she had a disability and most of her work went to the deaf and blind. When she went to different countries everyone came out to see her just like everyone did when Jesus came to their city. Helen’s aim in life was to educate the blind and deaf while Jesus’ aimed to educate people in the way of God. Both of them never backed down and were loved by many. Each of their hearts contained courage and the ability to express in what they believed in. They both have buildings or organisations in commemoration to them so they could continue their work, like the Helen Keller National Centre for the Deaf-Blind Youth and Adults, Helen Keller International and for Jesus the church, Christian and Catholic schools and shrines.

Painting of Helen

Helen Keller died on the 5th of June 1868 in her sleep. She left a big mark on the lives of the blind and deaf. She once wrote that "Life is either a daring adventure, or it is nothing at all." But the one quote that truly sums up her amazing life is "She will live on, one of the few, the immortal names not born to die. Her spirit will endure as long as man can read and stories can be told of the woman who showed the world there are no boundaries to courage and faith."