Fans and loved ones were stricken with worry upon hearing the news of the beloved singer's emergency room admittance due to a heart condition. The severity of the issue was not immediately clear, but the tour dates were nonetheless canceled as a precaution. People around the globe have been sending thoughts and prayers to the singer, expressing hope for a full recovery. The cause of the heart condition is unknown at this time, but speculation has been running rampant since the news broke.
Iam Tongi, who won season 21 of “American Idol” on May 21, 2023, wore his heart on his sleeve throughout the show — including crying over memories of his dad, who died of kidney failure months before the Hawaii native auditioned in front of the celebrity judges. But for the most part, the 18-year-old became known as a laid-back, joyful Hawaii native who mesmerized viewers with his soothing voice and “island vibe.”
So his legions of fans might be surprised to learn that Tongi hasn’t always been as relaxed and worry-free as he seems. In an hour-long profile of the rising star called “I Am Iam” by Hawaii’s KITV4, Tongi and those close to him — including his mom, Lilley — opened up about his struggles with ADHD and anxiety, which has led to severe panic attacks.
They hope that by talking about those challenges, fans who can relate will feel less alone. But an unexpected byproduct of opening up about his struggles and being on “American Idol,” Tongi revealed, is that it’s helped him feel less alone, too. Here’s what you need to know:
Learning to Play Ukulele Helped Iam Tongi With ADHD
KITV4 reporter Mika Miyashima followed Tongi and his family over many weeks of his “Idol” journey, including visiting them at their home in Federal Way, Washington — where they had to move after being “priced out of paradise,” as Tongi told the judges when he auditioned — and witnessing him progress on the show in Los Angeles.
One of the revelations in the special was that Tongi struggled in school growing up due to having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Children with ADHD may have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviors (may act without thinking about what the result will be), or be overly active.
“Growing up, it was way worse and I used to get in trouble a lot,” Tongi said.
“I would get calls from the office or his teachers,” his mom Lillie recalled, “that he would be in school without a backpack, no pencil, nothing to write with. But he would always have his guitar.”
Tongi always loved to sing, Lillie told KITV4, but it wasn’t until his fifth grade teacher Alison Faleolo, taught him how to play the ukulele that he found something positive he could focus his attention on.
Faleolo said he “struggled with academics,” but when she started to teach her fifth grade class how to play the instrument, she pushed him to keep working on it given his love of music.
“I wasn’t good at all,” Tongi remembered. “Everyone was getting it faster than me and I was like, ‘I don’t want to do it.'”
“He left my classroom crying a lot every day,” Faleolo said, “because I would scold him for needing to try harder and things like that, but he just always came back to school the next day. I was so proud of him for doing that.”
Once Tongi grew to love it, Faleolo tapped into his newfound passion to become an incentive for doing better in school, too.
“Partway through the year, he began finding videos online and so, over the weekend, to encourage him with academics, I’d send a ukulele home with him until he got his own and he would come back playing a new song because he’d seen it online,” she said.
mp>“He just sat there on the bed and he just seemed like he was hyperventilating,” Lillie said, recalling her son saying he couldn’t breathe. His dad skipped his dialysis appointment that day to stay home with his son, who told KITV4 about a conversation they had about his anxiety.
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