There wasn’t a dry eye in the room as Jeison Aristizábal accepted CNN’s Hero of the Year award on Sunday.
The activist, who has cerebral palsy, battled prejudice at a young age because of the disorder. Aristizábal, 33, has used his struggles and experiences to pay it forward to hundreds of kids in his native Cali, Colombia that have disabilities but lack resources to live a full life.
The 2016 CNN Hero of the Year was selected from this year’s top 10 CNN Heroes after a six-week online vote. Hosts Kelly Ripa and Anderson Cooper announced the winner at “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute,” where all 10 of this year’s heroes are honored. When Aristizábal was handed the award he gave a brief speech that moved many in the audience.