The heart-wrenching video of a 9-year-old boy with dwarfism crying about bullying and threatening suicide has softened the hearts of many, including actor Hugh Jackman and comedian Brad Williams.
Quaden Bayles, an Australian boy, became internationally known after his mother shared a Facebook video Tuesday about the nonstop bullying he’s endured at school. His mother, Yarraka Bayles, admits that her son had become suicidal due to the harassment, she said in the video. Celebrities and strangers have rallied around the Bayleses by condemning the bullying and raising more than $340,000 to support the family and help Quaden go to Disneyland.
“It's the constant bullying, the name-calling, obviously pointing out his difference,” Bayles said of the alleged bullying against her son, who has a form of dwarfism. “So now we have a severely suicidal child who’s sick of the bullying that is every single day that he attends school or is in public.”
“So I just want people to know and see the impact because this could be your child or your child could be the bully that pushes a kid over the edge and, God forbid, we lose another child to suicide because of the bullying,” she added.
Quaden can be seen crying and looking distressed in the back seat of a car in the video. Bayles’ video has been viewed more than 23 million times and shared more than 360,000 times as of Friday afternoon. The outpouring of support was evident by the Facebook responses.
The visual of what appears to be a child suffering as a result of bullying has garnered a response from more than 15,000 GoFundMe donors and fellow individuals with dwarfism including Williams. In a video, Williams opened up a GoFundMe for the 9-year-old that has raised more than $342,000 as of Friday afternoon. The money will go toward a Disneyland trip for Quaden and his family and support "anti-bullying/anti-abuse charities."
Jackman also vowed support Thursday afternoon. The actor tweeted: "Quaden - you've got a friend in me. #BeKind"
Folks have come out in droves praising Williams and Jackman. They’ve also rallied around Quaden.
Some cast a shadow of doubt about the family’s story. Several videos were shared of Quaden proudly flashing money in a video and modeling in designer clothes.
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