Winner of two Christopher Awards and the Golden Kite Award: This national bestseller is the true story of a girl with cerebral palsy and the family that wouldn't give up on her 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. At the time, cerebral palsy was considered untreatable, and institutionalization was the only recourse. However, in a revolutionary act of faith and love, the Killileas never gave up hope that Karen could lead a successful life. Karen is the profound and heartwarming account of an extraordinary young girl's triumph over seemingly insurmountable odds. Written by Karen's mother, Marie, this larger-than-life story tells of a family's courage, patience, and struggle in the face of extreme difficulty. It is also a story of their achievements: Marie's activism spread awareness of the mistreatment of disabled people in America and lead to the formation of multiple foundations, including United Cerebral Palsy. Her greatest reward, however, was also her greatest miracle: Karen herself

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