URBANA - The adage that laughter is the best medicine might not be too far off, according to motivational speaker Kathleen Passanisi.

The former physical therapist addressed several audiences at the recent Biennial Conference for Women 2008.

She told the story of her difficult pregnancy with her daughter, during which she had ruptured membranes before the beginning of her sixth month. Doctors were unsure of whether they would be able to save the baby's life.

"One day, I'm at work, and the next day I'm in the hospital, and my life is forever changed," Passanisi said.

She was placed in isolation and stayed in the Trendelenburg position, flat on her back with her feet elevated, for seven weeks.

The former director of therapy at Shriners Hospital for Children in St. Louis gave birth to her daughter, now 24. And when she decided to become a stay-at-home mom, she discovered her dream job: making people laugh. With postgraduate training in marriage and family therapy, her business is therapeutic humor, and she's been traveling the country for 21 years spreading her message.

"I can make people laugh," Passanisi said. "I can entertain them and teach something at the same time."

There is a science to all of it, she said, citing studies that humor is beneficial for heart health, lowering blood pressure and stress management. Passanisi said she works to teach people how to perceive the imperfect events in their lives as humorous. She is the past president of the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor.

If one can find humor in any situation, Passanisi said, one can bear it. She said that her time in the hospital, fighting on and waiting to know if her baby would die or survive, opened her eyes to a new truth. Humor can lift people out of their darkest times, Passanisi said, and remind them that in the totality of living, they are just moments.

"You can either cry about it or you can laugh about it, and one helps you keep on keeping on," Passanisi said.

Annie Getsinger can be reached at agetsinger@herald-review.com or 421-6968.