The ‘Lazaro Effect’

Blog by Voon Pang
May 2, 2013

It’s been almost a month since Lazaro left American Idol, and since then I’ve met people (old and young) say “Oh you must work with people like that guy on Idol."

The "Lazaro Effect" has truly taken a life of its own when recently an 8-year-old boy who stuttered said to me, “I haven’t met anyone else who stutters, but I have seen that guy on Idol." It was also positive to hear that having a stutter wasn’t a big deal for this child.

The positive effect of Lazaro’s inspirational story cannot be underestimated as it helps those who stutter feel less alone, "normalise" stuttering and show the world (whether you stutter or not) that one can pursue their dreams despite difficulties. I have no doubt that I will meet other kids, teenagers, and adults who stutter who will say, “I saw Lazaro on Idol and watching him sing made me feel OK about myself.”

As Lazaro departed Idol, another young singer took the stage to show the world his stuttering and his voice. Harrison Craig wowed the judges on The Voice (Australia) with his rendition of Broken Vow on April 8th, causing all four coaches to fight for the right to be his mentor (for the record, he chose Seal). He progressed through the first battle round last week and has a strong contingent of supporters barracking for him.

Click here to check out Harrison’s audition and to listen to his personal story about stuttering.

So from one voice to another, we have another courageous person who stutters performing in front of millions. Let’s all get behind Harrison Craig and continue the "Lazaro Effect." We should only be so lucky that these positive role models have shown the world that “Stuttering is OK! Because what I say is worth repeating."

CELEBRITY FOCUS

Frank Wolf

This Virginian congressman has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1981. The longtime supporter of the Stuttering Foundation drew national attention to childhood stuttering in 2006 when he submitted an article about Tiger Woods from the SFA newsletter to the Congressional Record. The congressman is featured in the Stuttering Foundation's Famous People Who Stutter brochure.

Ken Venturi

As much of the nation watches the U.S. Open Golf Championship, it is impossible not to think about our late friend Ken Venturi. Ken overcame many challenges to win the Open at Congressional in 1964 and go on to become the voice of golf for more than three decades.

However, Ken faced no bigger obstacle than stuttering. Ken Venturi was a champion to those who stutter, going out of his way to share his personal experience when consulted by a colleague, friend, or child who stutters.

Lewis Carroll

The recent Disney version of Lewis Carroll’s classic, Alice in Wonderland, garnered a great deal of media hype. Even though the mainstream media has not made mention that Carroll was a person who stuttered, his family history gives credence to the discovery of the genetic link to stuttering. Carroll was born to parents who were first cousins; almost all of their eleven children, three girls and seven boys, struggled with stuttering past childhood.

Byron Pitts

Byron Pitts has brought much attention to stuttering with his memoir, Step Out on Nothing: How Faith and Family Helped Me Conquer Life’s Challenges, released in September, 2009. The book not only details his speech difficulties, but also his illiteracy until age 12 and his unstable family life. Pitts overcame the odds to become the chief national correspondent with ABC News.

Marilyn Monroe

From Edward S. Herrington's letter to Southcoasttoday.com

I am writing in response to "The importance of voice" (May 29), which mentioned that famous actor James Earl Jones struggled with stuttering. Another famous voice that you cited was the trademark breathy voice of Marilyn Monroe; however, you did not make mention of the fact that Marilyn Monroe also struggled with stuttering at various points in her life, sometimes very painfully.