Idaho teacher wows judges, brings special friend to American Idol audition - East Idaho News
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Idaho teacher wows judges, brings special friend to American Idol audition

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BOISE — A special education teacher from Boise wowed ‘American Idol’ judges Sunday night and touched hearts across the country by introducing her best friend Marcus.

Maddie Zahm, 19, spoke about gaining a lot of weight in high school when she was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome, a hormone imbalance.

Zahm says the weight gain hurt her confidence and she stopped singing in front of people. But when she became a music teacher and started working with kids who have special needs, she says it changed her life and gave her the confidence to sing again.

She met Marcus, who has Down syndrome, and they became best friends. He has encouraged her to pursue her dreams and she helps him.

The judges invited Marcus to sit with them as Zahm performed Dua Lipa’s “New Rules” and then posed for selfies following the moving performance.

Watch the video above to see how the audition went.

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