'BEST DAY OF MY LIFE'
Bullied boy Quaden Bayles with dwarfism has ‘best day’ after Hugh Jackman and other celebs’ support his Disney fund
QUADEN Bayles who was bullied over his dwarfism has had "the best day ever" after Hugh Jackman and other celebrities supported his £150,000 Disneyland fund.
Quaden Bayles, 9, had been overwhelmed with worldwide support after his mum Yarraka turned to the Internet to show how badly bullying had affected the young schoolboy.
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In the video, Quaden was seen hysterically crying and saying he wanted to kill himself after he was bullied at school.
Since the footage went viral Quaden has received messages of support from around the world.
Hugh Jackman posted a video that said: "Quaden you are stronger than you know, mate. And no matter what, you have a friend in me.
"So, everyone lets please be kind to each other - bullying is not okay."
Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars saga, wrote that "the cruelty is as astonishing as it is heartbreaking" after seeing the video on Twitter.
After viewing the viral video, -based comedian Brad Williams — who also has dwarfism — organised a fundraiser on to send the boy and his mom to Disneyland in California.
Williams wrote: "I’m setting up this GoFundMe to let Quaden know that bullying will not be tolerated, and that he is a wonderful human being who deserves joy.
"I want to fly Quaden and his mother to America, get them a nice hotel, and bring them to Disneyland."
'BEST DAY EVER'
Williams added: "This isn’t just for Quaden, this is for anyone who has been bullied in their lives and told they weren’t good enough. Let’s show Quaden and others, that there is good in the world and they are worthy of it."
The GoFundMe has soared past £150,000 as Quaden's mum said he was overwhelmed by the goodwill shown.
She told : “He said it was going from the worst day of his life to the best day of his life. I think that sums it up perfectly."
Now the boy has given a message of hope to other people who have been bullied in a TV interview, according to .
He told National Indigenous Television (NITV) on Friday: “If you get bullied, just stand up for yourself and don’t listen to what they say.”
Quaden said parents needed to teach their children how to behave towards others.
He said: “The parents should make their kids be nice to people with disabilities.”
The nine-year-old Australian was diagnosed with achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism, three days after he was born and has long been the target for bullies and online trolls.
Yarraka said Quaden had spoken out because he doesn’t want others to have to go through what he has.
She said: “He doesn’t want other kids to be suffering in silence and he doesn’t want other kids to suffer. He sees how it affects us as a family and other peoples as well that have reached out.
“If you’re indigenous you are already copping discrimination and racism. Here we have a child, an indigenous child with a disability. So he’s copping it from every angle.”
SUPPORT AROUND THE WORLD
In the original clip, which Yarraka posted to Facebook, distraught Quaden can be seen sat in the passenger seat of a car saying, "What's the point?", and, "I want someone to kill me".
Devastated Yarraka captioned the post: "This is the impacts of bullying! I seriously don’t know what else to do!"
The video has sparked an outpouring of support, with National Rugby League side Indigenous All Stars inviting Quaden to lead the team out ahead of a game on Saturday night.
In a clip posted to twitter, NRL star Latrell Mitchell, who has met Quaden in the past, is seen surrounded by his team mates and saying: "Hey Quaden.
"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.
"We want you around, we want you to lead us out at the weekend.
"It's going to mean more to us than it will to you."
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Bullied boy with dwarfism, 9, urges other victims to ‘stand up for yourself’ in inspirational message after shocking vid
A version of this story first appeared on News.com.au.
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