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Post date: Jan 10, 2014 4:49:05 PM
Introduction
"I got ninety- nine problems, Palsy is just one of them." This was said by a comedian, an actor and a writer. Those are all of the things I love to do put into one inspirational human being. The first time I saw her was on a show called TED. TED is a conference that brings people together from three different worlds: Technology, Entertainment and Design. She spoke with such confidence and optimism like she wouldn't rather anywhere else. Hearing her story will change the way you look at things. She gives having a disability a new meaning. I loved her and her story so much, I decided to write this blog about her, and to show you guys that there is no such word as "can't".
All About Her
To understand why I admire Maysoon Zayid so much, you must get to know more about her and her wonderful personality. Maysoon was born in New Jersey, United States in 1974. She is Palestinian and Muslim. As she put it herself " I'm not drunk. However, the doctor who delivered me was." He cut her mom six times in six different directions. Maysoon has Cerebral palsy, and that is why she shakes..... all the time. She is like Shakira meets Muhammad Ali. C.P is not genetic, neither is it a birth defect. It only happens from accidents. She tells us how she isn't inspirational, but believe me she is. She uses her disability to make us all laugh. People with C.P normally don't walk, however her family doesn't believe in a so called "can't".If her three older sisters were mopping, she was mopping, and if her three older sisters went to public school, her parents would sue the school system to guarantee that she went too. Her father taught her how to walk when she was five years old, by placing her heels on his feet and just... walking. Also, her father would try dangling a dollar bill and having Maysoon chase after it. By the first day of kindergarten, she was walking..... like a champ who had been punched one too many times. Growing up, there were six Arabs in Maysoon's town, and they were all part of her family. Now, there are twenty Arabs in her town... and they are still all part of her family. Sadly, her parents couldn't afford physical therapy, so they sent her to dancing school. Which brings me to the next topic.
Maysoon's Career
Maysoon earned her BFA in acting from Arizona State University. Her acting career began when she appeared on the popular soap opera As The World Turns for about two whole years. She also appeared on Law and Order, NBC Nightly News and also 20\20. If that's not good enough, Mayoon had a role in the 2008 Adam Sandler movie, You Don't Mess With The Zohan. She even tap danced on Broadway. Yes, you heard me, Broadway. She is proof that you can never let fear stand in your way and that no matter what people tell you, no matter how afraid you are to try, you can do what you want to do.
Conclusion
I said it before and I'll say it again, I think that Maysoon Zayid is an inspiration to me and to whoever gets to know her. She is an inspiration and the proof is in these few paragraphs. I'd like to end this blog with a quote that her father told her. "If I can can, you can can."
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