Bullied boy with dwarfism Quaden Bayles down with mystery illness, gets 'special present' to cheer him up
Bullied nine-year-old Quaden Bayles, a schoolboy with dwarfism who fell ill from a mystery illness was recently cheered up with a very special present. Bayles was sent a pick-me-up of two sports jerseys as he remained at home under lockdown. His mother had filmed her young son very eagerly and excitedly opening up a present from Florida while he was unwell.
As he sat on a couch, Quaden said, "It's what I've been waiting for this whole time." His mother, Yarraka, responds by asking, "Wow, who's that?" Quaden is heard replying, "Trae Young" as he held up a sports jersey with the basketball star's team 'Atlanta Hawks' printed in large letters. Check the video here. "What's the other one?" his mother asks him to which he smiles and says, "Kevin Durant". He is seen with the second jersey that featured the words 'Bed Stuy' which is a neighborhood in New York where the players' team, Brooklyn Nets, are from.
The exact circumstances around Quaden's health and illness are not known. His mother had written in the caption that the gifts made him feel much better. "Waking up to presents when you're not feeling well just makes everything better. Thanks to our friend Joe from Florida," the caption read. Quaden had become a worldwide sensation and attracted the support of several notable celebrities after his mother took to social media to upload heartwrenching footage where her son, who suffers from achondroplasia, was crying because of the relentless bullying he suffered at school.
The child can be heard saying to his devastated mother, "Give me a rope, I want to kill myself. I wish I could stab myself in the heart... I want some-one to kill me." He had also said, "'I want to die... I want to scratch myself." The video went viral very quickly and garnered worldwide attention. Yarraka had shared the video online in the hope to spread awareness on the seriousness and impact that bullying can have. Quaden received many messages of support and love after the video made headlines.
The Indigenous All Stars NRL team had even invited Quaden to walk them onto the pitch during one of their matches against the New Zealand Maori Kiwis. During the video, Yarraka is heard saying, "We try to be as strong as positive as possible and only share the highlights... but this is how bullying affects a nine-year-old kid. I just picked my son up from school, witnessed a bullying episode, rang the principal and I want people to know this is the effect bullying has."
"This is what bullying does. So can you please educate your children, your families, your friends because all it takes is one more instance... and you wonder why kids are killing themselves," she shared. "This is the impact bullying has a nine-year-old kid who just wants to go to school, get an education and have fun but every single fricking day something happens," she continued. She also asked other parents for advice on what to do. "I've got some good advice but I need more, I want people to know how much it is hurting us as a family," she said at the time.