Maysoon Zayid uses the power of humor and comedy to take us on a journey through her life with cerebral palsey. She wastes no time bringing us right in with her opening line about "not being drunk but the doctor at my birth was."

My Aunt Linda had CP, as it is known, but I never knew that this wasn't genetic, but instead occurs when doctors make mistakes at birth, an action that will forever change the lives of people like Maysoon and my aunt.

We laugh with her, but admit it, that may be an partially uncomfortable laugh because really, we don't like to think we take pleasure in other's misfortunes, but Maysoon's delivery drops bomb after painfully humorous bomb that equally makes you want to giggle and cringe.

And such, we realize, is the power of educated humor. We can get our points across with a baseball bat of a joke. Maysoon's talk is a lesson in resilience, in self-belief, in overcoming great odds, and laughing about it, as she spreads her message and gives voice to those who also face similar realities.

I am grateful today for the laughs she gave me, but I am even more grateful for the lessons she left me pondering over and over.

Thank you, Maysoon,

-Alok Appadurai is communications director and co-founder of A Beautiful Body Project, is a public speaker, writer, co-founder of Fed By Threads, a human rights advocate, and a dad. To learn more about him, visit: www.AlokAppadurai.com

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