Helen Keller was born June 27, 1880 in Tuscumbia, Alabama. She was born with full eye sight and hearing also a very healthy baby. However in February 1882, when Helen wasn't even 2 years old she became very sick. The doctors thought it was a type of fever that involved the brain and she was expected to die. However, the illness went away, Kate Keller, Helen's mother, wasn't getting a response from Helen when she rang the dinner bell and never noticed her parents in front of her. It was at the time when the realized she was blind, deaf, and mute.

    After this tragedy, they knew she needed help and after asking help from many doctors, Alexander Graham Bell suggested they have a student from the Perkins Institution to help Helen with everyday life tasks since she was both blind and deaf. the student was Anne Sullivan. Anne Sullivan was also blind but only partially. She couldn't see very well because of an eye infection. Anne helped Helen learn all about life by spelling out words into her hand called finger spelling.