Even though Helen Keller died at the age of 87, blind and deaf, she had been an educator. Helen loved and cared about education and wanted other blind and/or deaf people to also have the chance to have one. Knowing what it means to be blind and deaf, she wanted to help other blind and deaf people. Most people believe that Helen Keller was born blind and deaf, but that is not the case. It changed Helen's life at just 19 months old! She had fallen ill, probably from scarlet fever, and never fully recovered, as she had almost lost her sight and could no longer hear. A little girl born capable of seeing the beautiful world, but it was taken away from her. After that, it was difficult to follow her. Since Helen could no longer hear what her parents were saying or see where they were doing or what they were gesturing towards, she did whatever she wanted until she was caught. When Helen was six years old, in 1886, her mother took her to a medical specialist in Baltimore, Maryland, who then referred her to Alexander Graham Bell. Alexander gave Helen a teacher named Anne Sullivan. Later, in August 1896, Helen lost her father and 25 years later, Kate Keller, her mother, died of an unnamed illness. As a child, Helen was difficult, because you couldn't get her attention without grabbing her, and even then, you couldn't say anything to her. She then said: “Once I knew only darkness and calm. My life had no past or future. But a little word from someone else's fingers fell into my hand that clung to the void, and my heart leapt with the rapture of living" (Khurana). Helen's courage is incredible. It is overwhelming that even if she couldn't hear, she couldn't see, she moved, acted and did her best to leave her mark, to show the world that she...... middle of paper ..... . Anne Macy The Story of My Life, by Helen Keller: With her letters (1887-1901) and additional account of her education, including passages from the reports and letters of her teacher, Anne Mansfield Sullivan London: Hodder. & Stoughton, 1914. Print. Khurana, Simran "Helen Keller. Quotes." About.com Quotations. About.com, nd Web. April 02, 2014. Wellman, Victoria. "Helen Keller's Forbidden Love: A New Book Inspired by the Author's Clandestine Engagement Tells a Thwarted Romance and broken hearts." Mail online. Associated Newspapers, May 8, 2012. Web, April 7, 2014. Sultan, Rosie Helen Keller in Love New York: Viking, 2012. Print..