My first hero was 1 and 1/2 when her real life began. Imagine yourself sick with fever and pain, but finally it ends... but so do a lot of other things for you. You can't see or hear anymore. The rules have changed, and your easy world is gone, replaced with a lifetime of struggle.

Who am I speaking of?

Helen Keller was a deaf and blind woman who overcame the obstacles in her life to inspire the world.

A frustrated child at seven, Helen threw tantrums and understood little of the world she could neither see nor hear around her. Her parents had no clue what the child needed, so they pitied her. After a while, though, it became clear to them that this was not going to be settled with a piece of candy and her favorite doll. They turned to Anne Sullivan.

A strict teacher, Anne came to Tuscumbia, Alabama, to take care of Helen. She used hard work and a strong well to help Helen understand. Finally after much work, Helen learned by a water pump. She felt the water flow in one hand while Anne spelled w-a-t-e-r in the other, using manual alphabet. Finally, Helen made the connection that everything has a written word connected to it: Language!

Helen discovered 30 words that day and went on to accomplish much, much more. She learned to speak at 10 by feeling the words form in her teacher's mouth. She read in four different languages: German, French, Latin and Greek. She wrote 11 books that were read throughout the world, funded organizations for the blind, and gave speeches in 39 different countries, talking of courage and never giving up.

Helen died in 1968, after living 80 years. I think Helen was and will always be a true hero.