"How do you account for your remarkable accomplishment in life?" Queen Victoria of the UK asked Helen Keller. "How do you explain the fact that even though you were both blind and deaf you were able to accomplish so much?"
Ms. Keller's answer is a tribute to her dedicated teacher. "If it had not been for Anne Sullivan, the name of Helen Keller would have remained unknown. "
According to speaker Zig Ziglar, "Little Annie" Sullivan, as she was called when she was young, was no stranger to hardship. She was almost sightless herself (due to a childhood fever) and was, at one time, diagnosed as hopelessly"insane" by her caregivers. she was locked in a dark underground room of a mental institution because of mental problems. Little Anne Sullivan would attack anyone who came near sometimes. However, an elderly nurse believed there was hope and she offered to help the child. Every day she made all her efforts to give little Anne words of love and encouragement. She believed Little Annie could recover, if only she were shown love.
Eventually, doctors noticed the change in the girl. Where they once witnessed anger and hatred, they now noted a gentleness and love. They moved her upstairs where she continued to improve. Then the day finally came when this seemingly "hopeless'' child was released.
Anne Sullivan grew into a young woman with a desire to help others as she herself was helped by the kind nurse. It was she who saw the great potential in Helen Keller. She loved her, disciplined her, played with her, pushed her and worked with her until the flickering candle that was her life became a beacon of light to the world. Anne Sullivan worked wonders in Helen's life; but it was a loving nurse who first believed in Little Annie and lovingly transformed an uncommunicative child into a compassionate teacher.
"If it had not been for Anne Sullivan, the name of Helen Keller would have remained unknown. " But if it had not been for a kind and dedicated nurse, the name of Anne Sullivan would have remained unknown.