Bullied Girl May Face Permanent Blindness, According To Parents

Bullying comes in all shapes and forms. Sometimes it is thought to be a nothing more than picking on a classmate and other times it goes to the extreme. In some cases, an innocent little prank could manifest into something much bigger than expected.

An 11-year-old girl, a victim of bullying, is an example of how a seemingly harmless act can turn into something much worse. After being hit in the face with a ball during gym class, she developed a brain disorder that may leave her permanently blind.

According to Gwendolyn Quarles’ father, Charles, the incident happened in gym class when the teacher left the room. Although Gwendolyn does not remember much of the incident, she does recall an argument before being hit.

“On the day of the injury, Gwendolyn was in gym class and the coaches left the children alone. There seems to have been an argument and then she remembers a ball flying at her.”

After Gwendolyn was hit with the ball, according to Good Morning America, she complained of a floating feeling. She was sent to the school nurse to be monitored. When she arrived home for the day, her parents took her to the emergency room for further tests. While there, she was diagnosed with intracranial hypertension, a condition in which pressure inside the skull chokes off the optic nerve from the brain. The condition is normally the result of traumatic head injury.

According to Gwendolyn’s parents, they have informed the school about bullying attempts toward their daughter on many occasions.

ABC News reached out to the school, the Founder’s Classic Academy in Texas, to see if more details could be uncovered. However, the vice president of school operations shared that they are not allowed to discuss the incident, but wish her a speedy recovery.

“We are not allowed to speak about confidential student information but the school’s policy is to investigate and notify parents promptly of any accident or bullying.”

It is too soon to know if Gwendolyn will recover from the injury, however, her parents have a real fear that she may become permanently blind from the traumatic injury. She is currently having issues with her vision and issues comprehending, as well as with her motor skills. Yet, there has been a glimmer of improvement, according to her mother.

“She sometimes has trouble understanding me and sometimes she will trip over things. It comes and goes.”

Unfortunately, since no adult was present, it is doubtful that the real story of what occurred will actually manifest. At this time, the boy who threw the ball has not been charged with any crime.

[Photo Courtesy: ABC News]