Brave Boy Who Was Told He’d Never Speak is Now Honored in Disney Storybook of Pocahontas

A brave 11-year-old boy who was told he would never speak was honored in a Disney storybook about kindness.

Zac Du Boulay, who was born with Moebius syndrome, won $ 5,000 in a recent ‘Inspire Like Churchill’ speech contest, but decided to donate all of his proceeds to the children’s charity Great Ormond Street Hospital.

“I didn’t want the [sick children’s] Whether the parents were sad or lonely, so I wanted to help, ”she said of her generosity.

Now Zac has been honored by Disney, in his just released Tales of Courage and Kindnessa collection of digital storybooks.

14 young people from around the world have been autographed in the storybooks, which feature 14 original Disney princess stories designed to inspire children to help create a kinder world.

A rough start

Zac was born with a facial and oral paralysis that left him unable to breathe or eat.

“I spent so much time and effort trying to speak, and I did the impossible, proved the doctors wrong,” said Zac. “I was not worried about people harassing me, I stayed strong in my heart.

“I have always been determined, I have stayed strong and I have tried not to worry about anything. ‘Hakuna-matata’, as they say at Disney’s The Lion King. “

Zac’s mother spoke of the difficulties the family faced when he was born: “Zac spent his first five months fighting for his life in intensive care.

“Then we were trained by intensive care nurses to care for him at home, where we would resuscitate him several times a day under emergency conditions, making family life very stressful and restrictive.

“However, Zac is a fighter. He defied all the odds in the first place, surviving. Then on Christmas Day, when he was three years old, he said his first word. ‘Mommy’.

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“It was the first sound he made, besides crying and laughing. From that moment on, he was on a mission to learn to speak for himself. Then, once his airways stabilized a bit, he was determined not only to talk, but to learn to eat himself.

“So we had another couple of stressful years, finding him raiding the refrigerator and choking on food, until he found a way to eat despite the nervous paralysis of his face, mouth and throat.

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“As in his incessant conversation, now he never stops eating,” he joked.

And now? Zac loves using his own experiences to support other kids and help them overcome challenges like him.

“I feel amazing, excited, happy and proud to be honored [by Disney]”He said.” It has inspired me to keep doing what I’m doing, give more speeches and hopefully inspire more people. “

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