The police entered the night club to take my friend, El Morris, to jail, convinced that he was a minor. He showed them his ID but the police didn't believe it. El Morris is an influencer from Honduras who is trapped in the body of a child. He is 23 years old. But due to a condition called growth hormone deficiency (GHD), also known as dwarfism or pituitary dwarfism, he looks like a child.
I spend the day with El Morris to hear his story. He faced so much bullying in his childhood, he even thought about taking his own life. But a very special person to Morris encouraged him to keep going-his mother. Morris, instead of giving up on life, decided to move to Tegucigalpa to support his family. Morris worked as an orange vendor, fruit seller, grocery store assistant, and cafe barista to survive. When he went to the maquilas to look for work, they discriminated against him because of his height and denied him a job.
With the help of friends and using a cheap cell phone, he started uploading videos on social media, asking people to guess his age. He now has one of the largest Tik Tok channels in Honduras and helps his mother financially. His biggest dream is to build a house for his mother.
Today Morris shows me the Centroamericana neighborhood of Tegucigalpa, where he lives. We check out street food, gyms, entrepreneurs, and shops as Morris tells us his great comeback story.
Morris's KZfaq Channel: / @elmorrishn
Morri's Facebook: / elmorrishn
Morri's Instagram: elmorrishn...
*****
Donate to my organization, Students Helping Honduras: bit.ly/3rmQZT0
Facebook: bit.ly/3c2l4B3
Twitter: bit.ly/3c0ri4m
Instagram: bit.ly/3c8REkE
Build a school with me in Honduras for 8 days: bit.ly/2OuToMT
Teaches English in Honduras: bit.ly/3rnxs4Z
Donate $4/month to the Villa Soleada Children's Home: bit.ly/330E7ey