Karen Killilea, whose story helped change views on cerebral palsy, dies at 80
Harrison Smith, The Washington Post
Dec. 23, 2020
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Karen Killilea, center, is pictured in 2013 with her sister Kristin Viltz, left, joined by Kristin s husband, Simon, and daughter Nikole.Family photo by Linda Marie Werner
When Karen Killilea was born in 1940, three months premature and weighing less than two pounds, few doctors expected her to live. She had sparkling eyes and an infectious smile but spent her first nine months in a hospital, watched over by nurses in the newborn intensive care unit.
Once she came home to Rye, N.Y., she seemed unusually still and rigid for an infant, never rolling over, kicking her feet or reaching her tiny hands toward her parents. Killilea (pronounced KILL-ill-ee) was eventually diagnosed with cerebral palsy, a group of movement disorders that led one physician to suggest her parents institutionalize her. Another declared that in China, they ta
Karen Killilea dies; subject of âKarenâ was keystone of family that pushed for disability rights
By Katharine Q. Seelye New York Times,Updated December 19, 2020, 3:57 p.m.
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Karen Killilea as a young woman at her family s home in Larchmont, N.Y., with her dog, Perry.KILLILEA FAMILY/NYT
When Karen Killilea was born in 1940, she was three months premature and weighed less than two pounds. She spent her first nine months in a neonatal intensive care unit.
When she finally returned to the family home in Rye, New York, her parents noticed that her limbs were especially stiff, she never rolled over in her crib and she didnât reach for toys that were dangled in front of her. Babies born so early rarely survived in those days. The doctors told Karenâs parents to institutionalize her and get on with their lives.
Karen Killilea, 80, Dies; Turned Disability Into Triumph
She refused to be limited by her cerebral palsy. Her story was the subject of two widely read books and became an inspiration to many.
Karen Killilea as a young woman at her family’s home in Larchmont, N.Y., with her dog, Perry. She conducted obedience training for dogs and had a special affection for Newfoundlands.Credit.Edward Lettau, via Killilea family
Published Dec. 18, 2020Updated Dec. 21, 2020
When Karen Killilea was born in 1940, she was three months premature and weighed less than two pounds. She spent her first nine months in a neonatal intensive care unit.