Hellen Keller, the girl who became a legend

I bet you’ll like Hellen Keller’s story. Have you heard of her? Well, Hellen was born at the end of the 19th century in a small town in Alabama, in the United States. Shortly after her birthday she suffered a very bad fever that kept her on the verge of death for several weeks. (current doctors think it could have been Meningitis or Scarlet Fever). Everyone thought he was going to die, but he miraculously recovered.

The happiness did not last. Because of the disease, Hellen had become deaf and blind. The family raised several questions. What could be done for a little girl who she couldn’t hear or see? How to break the barriers presented by a world of darkness and silence? What fate could await someone who couldn’t count on two senses?

The girl was restless. She did nothing but scream and throw tantrums. The tantrums and scenes of despair occurred day after day.

The good thing is that his parents’ plans did not include the idea of ​​giving up. They looked for Alexander Graham Bell himself (inventor of the telephone), who carried out various activities with deaf young people. He advised them to contact the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts. It was there that Hellen met the one who would be the light for the next 49 years of her life: Anne Sullivan.

One teacher, one world

Sullivan was barely 20 years old and had a frustration-proof will to serve. The new governess was willing to take Hellen out of that unfathomable world where she was trapped. With incalculable patience, The new teacher first tried to help her control her character and to do so she demanded that Hellen be isolated from her family. He took her to live in a small house where he instructed her in rules of discipline.

Then he taught her the first words through his hand gestures. With her palms he made a wave and Hellen understood that this movement referred to the water. Thus they began the wonderful process of baptizing the world. The most significant thing is that they had broken the great barrier of communication that separated them.

The most difficult thing was for the girl to learn to speak. The teacher used the Tadoma method to teach him. It involved her touching people’s lips while they spoke, or feeling their throats to feel the vibrations. Anne Sullivan spelled those sounds into the palm of her hand and so she learned the language of touch from her. Anne later taught him to read and write with the Braille system. This is how the girl learned French, German, Greek and Latin.

Hellen Keller began a truly moving journey of improvement. Not only did she become the first deafblind person to earn a university degree (with honors), but she became a writer and the most sought-after speaker of her time.. His workThe story of my life” has been one of the best sellers. Together with Anne she traveled to more than 39 countries and became personal friends with Charles Chaplin and Mark Twain. President Lyndon Johnson awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Hellen Keller was also an active socialist and fought tirelessly to improve the condition of blind people in her country and in the world.. She died peacefully and happy at the age of 88. One of her most remembered phrases is: “Life is either a daring adventure or it is nothing.”

Something unthinkable for a girl who seemed condemned to silence.

Photo: Mikasi – Via Flickr