* She died on Octoat the age of 78 of respiratory ailments.At the time of her death she was survived by her husband, Jimmy (who died a few years later at the age of 80) and four children: Marie Irish, Karen Killilea, Kristin Viltz, and Rory Killilea. Killilea received letters from all over the world, and she once estimated she answered 15,000 or more. Her books, totaling 4 million copies, have been published in 11 languages. * 'Karen' won a Christopher Award and was one of the 30 Notable Books of 1953. A sequel, 'With Love From Karen,' was published in 1963 and it is still in print. * She wrote a novel, 'Karen,' which became a best seller in 1952 and has never been out of print. Later, she was a co-founder of the National United Cerebral Palsy Foundation. Her work culminated in the formation of the Cerebral Palsy Association of Westchester County. * She was an active lobbyist in Albany for the rights of cerebral palsy patients. * Married James Killilea on July 25, 1933. Attended the Katherine Gibbs Secretarial School. * Her father was a sportswriter for the New York Sun and later became co-owner of a Wall Street brokerage firm. * Marie Lyons Killilea was born Jin New York City to Tom and Marie Powers Lyons. I can do anything.’”įounder of the Cerebral Palsy Association. The New York Times wrote, “You’ll want to read it most for Karen’s own words: ‘I can walk, I can talk. Marie’s activism spread awareness of the mistreatment of disabled people in America and led to the formation of multiple foundations, including United Cerebral Palsy.Ī larger-than-life story, Karen tells of a family’s courage, patience, and struggle in the face of extreme difficulty. Written by Karen’s mother, Marie, this memoir is a profound and heartwarming personal account of a young mother’s efforts to refute the medical establishment’s dispiriting advice, and her daughter’s extraordinary triumph over seemingly insurmountable odds. But in a revolutionary act of faith and love, the Killileas never gave up hope that Karen could lead a successful life. At the time, her condition was considered untreatable, and institutionalization was the only recourse. In 1940, when Karen Killilea was born three months premature and developed cerebral palsy, doctors encouraged her parents to put her in an institution and forget about her. Winner of the Christopher Award: This bestseller tells the inspirational true story of a girl with cerebral palsy and the mother who wouldn’t give up on her.

Karen by marie killilea summary