An Australian boy whose mother posted a heartbreaking video of him crying and saying he didn’t want to live any more is getting support from around the world, including over $200,000 in donations to send him to Disneyland, the New York Post reports. The boy was being bullied because of his dwarfism.
On Tuesday, Yarraka Bayles streamed a video live on Facebook. The footage showed her 9-year-old son, Quaden Bayles — who has achondroplasia , a form of dwarfism — sobbing after a classmate had bullied him for his looks.
“I wish I could stab myself in my heart. I want someone to kill me,” the boy sobbed in the video.
The clip has since gone viral on Facebook, getting viewed over 21 million times, as of this writing, and racking up hundreds of thousands of supportive comments.
“[I’m] in tears watching this. Sending strength and love, I wish I had the answer to stop the bullying. Stay strong,” wrote one commenter.
Others noted that there must be serious flaws in Australia’s educational system that allowed such bullying to exist in the first place. Still others volunteered to come to the school and give the bullies a piece of their mind.
https://www.facebook.com/yarraka/videos/10163099957440693/
The bullied young lad is getting support from outside Facebook as well. A man named Brad Williams started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to send the boy to Disneyland. The crowdfunding campaign’s initial goal was $10,000; as of this writing, it’s raised over $278,000.
That is, of course, more than enough to send the family to Disneyland. However, a disclaimer in the crowdfunding campaign notes that the excess money will be donated to anti-bullying charities and anti-abuse charities.
Meanwhile, an Australian rugby league has also reached out to the boy. Specifically, the Indigenous Australian League has asked Quaden to lead the All-Stars onto the field for an upcoming match.
“We know you’re going through a hard time right now but the boys are here, we’ve got your back. We’re here to support you, bud,” said one of the players in a video message to the boy.
Additionally, as TMZ reports, MMA organization ONE Championship has invited the boy to come to one of their gyms for free self-defense lessons.
“Our instructors will be sure to bully-proof Quaden,” CEO Chatri Sityodtong promised.
Quaden’s family has reportedly taken Sityodtong up on the offer, which includes an all-expense paid trip to Singapore to train in a gym there.
