In Canada, there was a teenage girl named Kayla Connolly, who had a cousin named Lorena suffering from autism. Six-year-old Lorena never made eye contact or engaged in conversations with her family.
Observing Lorena’s behavior, Kayla pondered how she could help. She had an idea to teach vocabulary to Lorena, who loved playing the piano keys. Kayla attached alphabet letters from A to Z on the piano keys and helped Lorena learn words by pressing the keys. The result was a great success. Lorena memorized all the letters, started reading words, and began communicating with her family. She even opened her heart enough to say, “I love you, Kayla.”
Kayla’s teaching method spread to many special education classes in Canada and the United States, yielding significant results. In recognition of her efforts, Kayla was honored as CNN’s Hero of the Year in 2007.
Love is the willing heart to help with care, and it is the greatest power that changes people.