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Maysoon Zayid, author of the graphic novel Shiny Misfits, was born in 1974. Because of difficulties with her birth, she has lived with cerebral palsy. This manifests itself, in her case, by tremors that she can control sometimes. When she wanted to enroll in the same elementary school with her sisters, the principal said that she could not because of her disability, and sent her and her father to the superintendent. It was even mentioned that she should enroll in a school for children with Down Syndrome. This was before the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. She made her case successfully, as was able to enroll. Her parents, who immigrated from Palestine, couldn't afford physical therapy, so her father worked with her for two hours a day at home. To help, she did enroll in dance classes. Since she was young, Mayson wanted to be a famous actress and appear on the television soap opera General Hospital, so she loved dancing. She attended Arizona State University to major in dance and drama. Despite a lot of negativity from teachers, she persevered. She took comedy classes as well, and eventually got an audition for her dream job, General Hospital, and won a role. She continues to perform and to serve as a good example for fighting through difficulties and not giving up on dreams.