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Drayke Hardman: Parents speak out after son, 12, dies by suicide after bullying in school

'This.... This is the result of bullying. My handsome boy was fighting a battle that not even I could save him,' posted the boy's mother

Drayke Hardman, a 12-year-old boy from Utah was reportedly bullied by an anonymous classmate for the previous year before committing suicide last week. Drayke took his own life at his Utah home two days later, on February 9, after asking to miss his basketball practice that night. He was brought to the hospital after his sister discovered him, but he died the next morning.

Drayke's parents, Samie and Andrew Hardman, told KUTV CBS 2 that they tried to help their son by calling the school, which got the accused bully suspended. Drayke was asked how he was feeling and if he had pondered suicide, according to Samie. "And he [said], 'No, no.' It was almost like he was disgusted that I would have even asked him," Drayke's mom recalled the conversation.

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According to his parents, when Drayke returned home with a black eye days before his suicide, he initially lied about how he got it. When Samie and Andrew enquired if it was the consequence of a physical altercation with a student, Drayke reportedly answered, "Snitches get stitches." Samie, the boy's mother, posted a now-viral, emotional Instagram post recounting Drayke's experience and including a photo of him in the hospital.

She captioned the photo, "This.... This is the result of bullying.  My handsome boy was fighting a battle that not even I could save him. It is real, it is silent and there is nothing absolutely nothing as a parent you can do to take this deep hurt away.  There are no signs, only hurtful words of others that ultimately stole our Drayke from this cruel place"

Drayke's parents have stated that they are sharing their son's storey in the aim of encouraging parents to teach their children kindness as part of their DoItForDrayke campaign. "Kids are going to be the kind of kids that are going to do what they want until they know that it's not OK. And I think that's where those hard conversations come from," Samie remarked. 

In Hollywood, Drayke's heartbreaking story has struck a chord. Many celebrities, including model Kaia Gerber, have sent him notes of support. "My heart is broken for Drayke and his family, and every child who has been the victim to bullying. PLEASE take the time to read this, show this to your children, start the conversation," the model stated. "Let's teach our children kindness and compassion. Bullying HAS NEVER and WILL NEVER be 'cool.' #DoItForDrayke"