Remembering A Heart of Gold Audrey Hepburn By Angela Guzman

Remembering a Heart of Gold: Audrey Hepburn

Audrey Hepburn was an amazing actress that will always be rememered for her great roles in Sabrina, Breakfast at Tiffany's and War and Peace. In the late 1980s, when Hepburn's career was coming to a close, she decided that she didn't want to have a normal retirement. Instead Hepburn decided to dedicate her life to helping others. "There is a moral obligation," she would say, "That those who have should give to those who don't."

In March 8, 1988 Hepburn was appointed as the Special Ambassador for UNICEF. From the moment she signed on, she went straight to work, meeting with starving children and their families and spreading the message of need across the world. Hepburn spent her retirement helping UNICEF and their efforts to provide aid to children everywhere.

Bangladesh & Thailand

Hepburn's sixth journey was to Bangladesh in October 1989. The world was throwing up their hands because of the constant mishaps due to the floods and famine. Hepburn wanted to go there and be with them and promote UNICEF's cause. Many children were in such bad conditions that flies and other insects swarmed their bodies however, that didn't stop or make Hepburn hesitate as she embraced them in a soulful hug. She traveled to every part of Bangladesh and distributed food, hope and medications.

Following her trip to Bangladesh, Audrey also visited Thailand. She spent time in the Klong Toey Slum in Bangkok, where she toured a school and children’s centre that provides support for orphans and children of the slums.

Somalia

Hepburn's last journey was to Somalia, in September 1992. "I walked into a nightmare," she said. "I have seen famine in Ethiopia and Bangladesh, but I have seen nothing like this - so much worse than I could possibly have imagined. I wasn't prepared for this. It's so hard to talk about because it's unspeakable." Between the worst drought in history and a horrifying civil war that had destroyed the country; most of the population was starving to death. "There's nothing left," Hepburn said. "The cattle are dead, the crops are gone, whatever there was has been looted. Anarchy. It's a country without a government." It was the first time in history that a country had been held together purely by relief workers, from organizations such as UNICEF, Save the Children, and Care. But there were too few of them.

The mission was followed by press conferences in London, Geneva, Paris and numerous television appearances in the United States. These round of interviews intrigued the world. In all of them, she looked tired but otherwise healthy, betraying no hint of the fact that she had just 15 weeks to live.

Hepburn, soon after her return from Somalia, discovered she had developed cancer in her appendix, which spread to her colon and then to her stomach. While speaking in New York after her trip she said, "I'm filled with a rage at ourselves. I don't believe in collective guilt, but I do believe in collective responsibility." Hepburn didn't address her illness, instead she decided to spread word about the devastation that she witnessed in Somalia and encouraged others to reach out.