A video of a 9-year-old sobbing in his mother’s car after being bullied went viral on Tuesday.
In the clip, the child, Quaden Bayles said to the camera, “Give me a knife, I want to kill myself.” His mother, Yarraka Bayles, shared the Facebook Live video to bring attention to the effects of bullying, CNN reports. In the video, she also revealed that her son has tried to kill himself before. The mother and son are from Australia.
“This is what bullying does,” she said in the video. “Can you please educate your children, your families, your friends?” The video has been viewed 20 million times. Bayles has since received support from around the world.
One of Bayles’ biggest advocates has been Australian actor Hugh Jackman, who posted a video message on Twitter, saying, “No matter what, you've got a friend in me.” He continued, “Quaden, you are stronger than you know, mate. Everyone, let's just please be kind to each other. Bullying is not OK, period.”
American comedian Brad Williams has also launched a GoFund Me page and has raised over $248,000, which he’s using to send Bayles and his mother to Disneyland. “This isn't just for Quaden, this is for anyone who has been bullied in their lives and told they weren't good enough,” Williams wrote on the fundraising page. “Let's show Quaden and others that there is good in the world and they are worthy of it.”
Williams also FaceTimed with Quaden, which he shared on Instagram. "Got to FaceTime with Quaden today. Huge things are in the works," he wrote. "Thank you so much to everyone who donated! I’m doing everything I can to make sure every penny goes to a good cause! #EndBullying"
Bayles was born with a condition known as achondroplasia dwarfism, and is the face of Stand Tall 4 Dwarfism, the charity his mother started to raise awareness and prevent bullying, per CNN. Bayles has endured multiple surgeries and been bullied before.
Williams also has achondroplasia; for the last few days, he has solely been tweeting about Bayles’ Go Fund Me page. Now included in the donations are airline tickets for Bayles and his mom to visit Disneyland, gifted by Fiji Airways.
