Becoming handicapped was of course a misfortune. But it was definitely fortunate that it happened at an early age. As Louise Baker writes herself: "...granted that Fate has cast an evil designing eye on an appendage, let her make the graceful gesture and snip while the victim is young!"

But it wasn't only the greater adaptability of a young person that helpt her. An important positive factor was that she grew up in a small town with normal, warm-hearted people who had the time and patience to give a handicapped child a good start in life.