Zac Du Boulay
Zac's 'Inspire Like Churchill' Speech
Fundraising for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity
Story
This is the speech I won joint FIRST place for out of over 600 entries globally in the 'Inspire Like Churchill' competition run by the International Churchill Society (https://winstonchurchill.org), which donated my $5000 prize money to my nominated charitable organisation Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity, who have looked after both me and my sister, and where I had a 10 hour pioneering operation in January 2019 to give my paralysed face a smile.
I have since been nominated by GOSH Charity and chosen by Disney to be 1 of their 14 'Children of Kindness' from Europe and the Middle East, as part of their Ultimate Princess Celebration - a new global campaign championing the qualities of courage and kindness.
You can read all about their campaign and my story here: https://thewaltdisneycompany.eu/princesscelebration/
I set up this fundraising page to try to raise even more funds for GOSH Charity as they need our help to "battle this crisis" (please see below).
You can watch my film here: https://vimeo.com/433991791
Or read my speech below:
"Hi, my name’s Zac Du Boulay. I’ve been fighting for my life since I was born because I couldn’t breathe, eat, speak or smile. I have spent a lot of time living in isolation in hospital and at home.
If I caught COVID-19, I would probably die, so I am staying at home and keeping healthy so that I can stay alive, because I don’t want to die and I don’t want the people who love me to feel sad.
Things that have helped me to stay happy at home when I’ve been ill are doing fun things with my family, playing games and speaking to my friends.
It’s also important to talk about the things you’re worried about and to ask for help.
When I’m scared, I pray to the angels and that helps to make me feel safe.
I’ve nearly died so many times but I’m still here today to make this speech to those of you who are feeling scared and having a hard time.
Before we had to go into lockdown, I sometimes felt too scared to leave the house because I’m scared of crowds and of people bullying me for being different, but I just have to believe in myself and be brave.
I hope everyone stays safe. I hope that disabled people stay alive and healthy. And if you have the virus, I hope you get better soon.
If I win this speech competition, I want to donate the prize money to Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children to say thank you to all the doctors and nurses who have looked after me there, and who are now risking their lives to take care of all the high-risk children like me with COVID-19."
Please consider making a donation to support Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity so that they can keep caring for children like me:
"The need for the charity to support the hospital in delivering the very best in life-changing care to children with rare and complex conditions hasn't changed because of the COVID-19 crisis or as we move beyond - the work is more important than ever to ensure there is no longer term impact on the care the hospital can deliver to seriously ill children, once the crisis is over.
Like other charities, GOSH Charity is facing disruption to its fundraising activities with money cancelled due to the ongoing crisis. Any support you can give will help to ensure the needs of the hospital continue to be met through this crisis and beyond, especially as those needs may change with time.
Please donate to help us battle this crisis." (GOSH Charity)
Thank you so much for your support
Love Zac xxx
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.