Helen Keller was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama on June 27, 1880. In 1881, at the age of 19 months, she lost her sight and hearing as a result of meningitis.
During her lifetime, she was a reader of our braille magazine the Christian Record.
In 1910, the circulation of the Christian Record had risen to 2,300. One of the recipients of our pilot magazine was Helen Keller. She sent words of support and encouragement to the Christian Record office in the form of this letter:
"Dear Friends,
It is a happiness to me to know of your warm hearted efforts to help the blind. It is help indeed -- giving them light which no darkness can quench. I hope that more and more of the blind who wander comfortless in desert ways will hear the messages of love and peace which the Christian Record scatters far and wide. There is a cheery, stimulating spirit in the magazine too, and that is another greatly needed service to the sightless. I thank you for the sweet story which you published in the Christmas number. I am sure no one who has read it will soon forget its beautiful lesson. I rejoice in the encouragement which you have given the blind to be as self-supporting as possible. Yes, work which they can do and do well, and in a noble spirit, is the best way to worship God and to serve their fellow men.Wishing you and the Christian Record continued success, I am, sincerely yours,
Helen Keller."
For more information about Helen Keller, be sure to visit the Helen Keller Archives at the American Foundation for the Blind.