Rasmussen's encephalitis, a rare inflammatory disease, caused seizures when you were 6 years old. What treatment did you undergo then?

The doctors told my parents the damage would slowly spread throughout my brain and I could end up in a nursing home within four years. They recommended a surgery called hemispherectomy where they would remove half my brain to eliminate the virus and my seizures.

Which hemisphere was removed?

My left hemisphere, which affected my right side. I joke that I'm always in my right mind.

What were the physical effects?

I'm weaker on my right side. I can't use my right hand, I walk with a limp, and I have no visual field on that side. It took a couple of years after the surgery to learn to do everything on my left side that I used to do on my right.

How do you rely on humor?

I think it puts people at ease. When they ask what's wrong with me, I might tell them I was injured in Vietnam or my disabilities are the result of a science experiment that went totally, totally wrong. Or I just say, "I don't remember."

In what ways have your parents encouraged your sense of humor?

As a birthday present a few years ago, they sent me to a clown camp called NY Goofs. We did skits and acted crazy. I actually had a pie thrown in my face. It was awful because it wasn't a pie—it was a pie plate of detergent because detergent sticks better.

As a motivational speaker, who do you speak to and what do you tell them?

I was the keynote speaker at a conference of the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor in Philadelphia. I also have spoken to the Connecticut Academy of Family Physicians. I often start out by singing "If I Only Had a Brain" from The Wizard of Oz. And I sometimes end by saying, "I'm proof that you can have a full life with half a brain." During my speech, I talk about how humor can help people get through tough situations.

You had a long friendship with Fred Rogers, who visited you in the hospital after your surgery. What do you remember most about him?

My parents both worked at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, and [in 1991] my mom was on the committee to pick a commencement speaker. I suggested Mister Rogers. He agreed to come on one condition: that I help him write his speech. I told him to encourage people to do good deeds for other people and have those people do good deeds for other people and have it spread from there. Part of what I suggested was in his final speech. It was the coolest thing.

Web Extra

Watch Beth discuss her childhood and hemispherectomy below. Then, read her essay about Fred Rogers.