The unbilled star of Wednesday night’s Democratic National Convention was Gus Walz—the 17-year-old son of Gwen and Tim Walz—who couldn’t hold in his tears, his joy, or his pride at seeing his father on the national stage. “Hope, Gus, and Gwen, you are my entire world and I love you,” Walz said in his speech, after talking about the years of fertility treatments he and Gwen underwent to have children. That’s when Gus stood up to proclaim to the whole convention center and everyone watching “That’s my dad!” x YouTube Video The Walzes have opened up about their family in a People magazine interview , and especially about Gus, a young man whose parents say his condition is a “secret power.
" He has a non-verbal learning disorder, ADHD, and an anxiety disorder. "Like so many American families, it took us time to figure out how to make sure we did everything we could to make sure Gus would be set up for success as he was growing up," the couple told People. "It took time, but what became so immediately clear to us was that Gus’ condition is not a setback," they added.
They explained that Gus "is brilliant, hyper-aware of details that many of us pass by, and above all else, he’s an excellent son and brother to his sibling." The Walz’s family values shine through in that interview, just like they did Wednesday night in Tim Walz’s speech. He’s taken the simple, beautiful message that “everybody belongs” to the national debate, and for him it clearly .