Believe, when you are most unhappy, that there is something for you to do in the world. So long as you can sweeten another’s pain, life is not in vain.
History of Western State Hospital (dshs.wa.gov)Western State Hospital is located on the site of historic Fort Steilacoom, which served as a military post from 1849 to 1868 until the federal government abandoned it. The Washington territory purchased the fort with the intent of turning it into a hospital for people who suffered from mental illness. The hospital, then called the Insane Asylum of Washington Territory, opened in 1871 with 15 male and six female patients.
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Helen Keller (Wikipedia)Helen Adams Keller (June 27, 1880 – June 1, 1968) was an American author, disability rights advocate, political activist and lecturer. Born in West Tuscumbia, Alabama, she lost her sight and her hearing after a bout of illness when she was 19 months old. She then communicated primarily using home signs until the age of seven, when she met her first teacher and life-long companion Anne Sullivan. Sullivan taught Keller language, including reading and writing. After an education at both specialist and mainstream schools, Keller attended Radcliffe College of Harvard University and became the first deafblind person in the United States to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.