There are a lot of sweet, heart-warming stories told during the auditions of American Idol. And Maddie Zahm from Boise, Idaho tells one of them. In high school Maddie was diagnosed with PCOS: polycystic ovary syndrome, which for Maddie caused rapid weight gain. (Whitney Thore Way, star of the reality show My Big Fat Fabulous Life, also struggles with PCOS.) Most women with PCOS grow many small cysts on their ovaries which are not harmful but which lead to hormone imbalances, hence, the sudden weight gain. There is no cure for PCOS.
Maddie says the weight gain hurt her confidence, so much so that she stopped singing in front of people. But when she became a music teacher and started working with kids with autism, she says, ‘It changed my life” and gave her the confidence to sing again.
Maddie Zahm and friend on American Idol (ABC/Eddy Chen)
For her audition, Maddie brought one of her students (see above). He wore an adorable t-shirt with a photo of him and Maddie that reads “My Best Friend is The Next American Idol”. American Idol airs Sundays and Mondays at 8pm on ABC.
