A funny thing happened to Brenda Elsagher on the way to comedy class.

She discovered she had rectal cancer.

It may sound like a bad joke. But that's the way it happened for this woman who uses humor to tame the stigma that comes with some of the most embarrassing ailments. The Burnsville mom writes books and takes center stage to get her message across.

It started when she went to see a specialist for what she thought was a bad case of hemorrhoids. It was. That was just one taboo subject she'd have to get used to living with, along with hemorrhoidectomy, colostomy and hysterectomy.

"I said to that doctor, 'It's kind of a gross job you have,' " she remembers. "And he said, 'It might be gross, but it saves lives.' "

Ten years later, she's living proof that laughter can help ease the pain and open new doors of understanding, too.

"I always start my talk by telling the crowd I'm going to ask them to turn to each other and say three little words. They think it's going to be 'I love you.' " Instead, she asks them to say the word "rectum" three times. Audiences find out they can actually do it.

"I think we are where breast cancer was a few years ago," she says. "I think the same thing will happen with colons."

And she never misses the chance to drive home to audiences the importance of having a colonoscopy. She wants to spread the word that colon cancer caught early is among the least difficult cancers to successfully treat.

She was 39 when her hemorrhoid problems led her to her first colonoscopy. The test revealed a malignant tumor pushing against her vagina that called for several surgeries and four months of recovery. Her children, John and Jehan, were then 3 and 5, and she worked in the hair salon she owns and operates.

"It took months to heal," she says. "I couldn't go back to work. I couldn't even stand up straight for a long time. I had a lot of issues with a skin wound around the colostomy."

And the comedy career she dreamed about was on hold.

Then she made a decision. "On my 39th birthday, I decided I'd be a comedian by 40," she remembers. She plunged into a class at Acme Comedy Club. Her class recital came two days after her 40th birthday. But the after-dark comedy scene in downtown clubs didn't seem friendly for a mom. She was ready to quit comedy.

Then, a friend urged her to join an amateur comedy contest. "Supposedly, 150 people tried out," she says. "I made it through the semifinals and won the whole thing."

But the real turning point came when she got an invitation to speak at Pathways, a resource center in Minne-apolis for people with health crises, where she often participated.

"I'd never given a talk before in public," she says. "I decided to tell just a little about my story. I picked out some of the funny parts. And there were sad parts, too."

The experience and warm response it drew became the start of something new. "I found out speaking with humor was really a fit for me."

She now travels the country speaking to cancer patients, health professionals and more general audiences seeking inspiration. Her 2003 self-published book, "If the Battle Is Over, Why Am I Still in Uniform?: Humor as a Survival Tactic to Combat Cancer," tells her story with raw honesty and humor. She still works as a hairstylist in her salon, Alpha in Bloomington, one or two days a week. And her next book, "Cracking Up Over Colon Cancer," is due out in the spring.

She wants people to understand that conditions most people feel embarassed about don't have to derail their lives. That includes ostomy, she says, with which many people live, work and play. And that a little humor never hurts.

"It's a way of dealing with uncomfortable things, even crisis. A way to cope with your tears."

Kay Harvey can be reached at 651-228-5468 or kharvey@pioneerpress.com. Brenda Elsagher will speak about surviving with humor and healing at a luncheon from 11:30 to 1 p.m. Thursday at Solera, 900 Hennepin Ave. in downtown Minneapolis. The event will benefit Pathways, a health crisis resource center in Minneapolis. Cost is $30, payable at the event. For more information, call 612-822-9061.