The ‘Superpower’ of Joy: How a Waco Boy’s Viral Appetite is Inspiring Millions

WACO, Texas (KWTX) - Your social media feed is likely full of the same things: new restaurants, “foodies” showing off their latest meals, and viral trends. But have you ever thought about the power of a single “crunch”?

That sound has put a global spotlight on 11-year-old Thomas Wayne Hawthorn III—known to his hundreds of thousands of fans as “T3.”

While he’s famous for his appetite, it’s his unbreakable spirit that is truly feeding the soul.

A Viral Mission

Online, T3 is a cute, funny foodie who isn’t afraid to tell you exactly what he thinks of his lunch. Among his favorites is fried chicken, from Bush’s, KFC, or Church’s. But at home in Waco, he’s just an 11-year-old boy who loves fried chicken and making videos.

What started as a simple moment has turned into a mission as big as his appetite.

“It was this one day, I got Church’s and my mama said, ‘Let’s make a video,’” T3 recalled. “Made the video, and it went viral.”

That single video earned over a million likes, but behind the viral fame is a brave reality. T3 was born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, commonly known as Brittle Bone Disease. It’s a rare condition where his bones can break as easily as twigs. Currently, T3 cannot walk, but that hasn’t stopped him from “running the show” online.

Connecting a Family

His mother, Courtney Davis, says the social media page didn’t start for the fame. It started as a way to keep their family informed about his surgeries and progress.

“My dad’s mother, she’s passed away now, she loved to see him,” Davis said. “She would call me and say, ‘I seen him eating that chicken.’ Of course, she’d be like, ‘Courtney, now you know that’s not healthy.’”

T3’s honesty is part of the charm. Whether he’s celebrating a great meal or giving a “thumbs down” to hospital food during a recent spinal surgery in Austin, his followers see it all. During that stressful hospital stay, T3 received a boost when two of his favorite rappers liked his videos—a small gesture that meant the world to a boy facing big challenges.

The Business of Bravery

T3 has a secret weapon: he chooses joy. It’s a lesson his mother instills in him every day, even when the pain is real.

“This is life. It’s hard but it’s reality,” Davis said. “If he can just focus... I promise it’s going to be better.”

That focus is paying off. With over 600,000 followers across Instagram (thomasthee3rd), Facebook (Thomasthee3rd), and TikTok (thomasthee3rd), T3 is also learning the value of a dollar.

Davis said, she is blessed to have such a wonderful husband who takes care of them. Because T3 spends a fair amount of time at the hospital, she has become a stay-at-home mom. That has allowed her to be with her son during his sometimes, extended stays at the hospital.

She said, a while back, the Facebook account made a little money, not much to notice.

However, this last hospital stay netted much more.

While she puts most of his earnings into a bank account for his future, T3 is a “little businessman” who knows how to negotiate for the present—sometimes making a video just to earn ten dollars for his favorite video game credits.

A Contagious Hunger for Happiness

His impact has reached fans from all walks of life. Ranard Mattox, a photographer from Georgia, followed T3 online for years before spotting him by chance at a museum in Houston.

“He’s very encouraging, just living his life, enjoying life to the fullest,” Mattox said. “I said, if this young man can face life with his challenges, why can’t I tackle something?”

In Missouri, teacher Annie Cecil and her class were so inspired by T3 that they sent him a superhero cape and mask. T3 eventually traveled to St. Louis to surprise the students in person.

“I always get a laugh... and just motivation to keep doing what I am doing with my class,” Cecil said.

A Message for the World

Davis and her husband say they feel blessed to have such a special child and are ecstatic at the support he receives from around the world. Their hope is that when you smile at his videos, you’ll be a “good neighbor” and pass that joy along to someone else.

In a world that can sometimes leave a bad taste in your mouth, T3 is proving that life is meant to be savored—one bite and one smile at a time.