“I HOPE YOU DREAM” What God Hopes For You January 17, 2016 She was born in Alabama in 1880. At the age of just 19 months she developed a serious infection, and because of it lost both her sight and her hearing. The first seven years of her life were an incredible struggle for her and her family. Then, in March of 1887, a young lady named Anne Sullivan was hired by the family to try to teach young Helen Keller how to communicate. The breakthrough came on April 5, 1887, when Anne was able to teach Helen that the word “water” referred to the liquid she bathed in and drank. From that day on there was no stopping Helen Keller. She graduated with honors from Radcliffe in 1904. She authored five books. She was instrumental in the fight to give women the right to vote, which was finally accomplished in 1920. She spent much of her time during World War 2 visiting soldiers who had lost their sight and/or hearing. She helped establish Braille as the standard for printed communication for the blind. When she died in 1968 at the age of 88, Helen Keller was world famous, an inspiration to everyone who knew about her.