Quaden Bayles, a nine-year-old boy with a rare form of dwarfism, who was allegedly left feeling suicidal as a result of the bullying he endured at school, has delivered a powerful message to those who cruelly tormented him.
The child (who hails from Brisbane in Australia) went viral on social media back in February, after his mother Yarraka Bayle posted a video, which apparently showed him weeping uncontrollably. She captioned it: "This is the [impact] of bullying! I seriously don’t know what else to do [sic]."
Quaden, who was born with achondroplasia according to a report by SBS, was apparently so upset that he said he wanted to kill himself.
Watch the original video of Quaden below (Warning: some viewers may find this distressing):
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In the video in question Yarraka states: "I've just picked my son up from school, witnessed a bullying episode, rang the principal, and I want people to know - parents, educators, teachers - this is the effect that bullying has. This is what bullying does", before Quaden says, "Give me a knife, I'm going to kill myself."
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As a result of the video, Quaden was met with an outpouring of support from the general public. Hollywood actor Hugh Jackman sent him a message of friendship, and comedian Brad Williams raised $700,000 via GoFundMe page to send Quaden to Disneyland.
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Per the NZ Herald, Yarraka Bayles shared another video of her son to Facebook on Friday morning, from when he was only five years old, in which they discuss some of the names Quaden has been called in the past. Quaden says: "Why do you call me a baby, every single day?" before adding: "I don't want them to call me bubba, baby or cute."
The schoolboy added that he no longer wants people to refer to him as "little".
In a new interview with National Indigenous Television, Quaden was asked what he would say to his bullies if he had the chance. The young boy stated: "If you see someone different, don’t be rude, just smile and say hi."
He continued: "It’s not nice when you say these rude things to other people. It would be good if they knew about other people who have diseases and things, and just be kind."
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Last week, Quaden and his family made the revelation that they were turning down Brad Williams' GoFundMe offer of an all-expenses-paid trip to Disneyland in California.
In an interview with Australia's NITV News, Quaden's Aunty Mundanara Bayles explained that the family would prefer that the money went to charity.
She said: "What kid wouldn’t want to go to Disneyland, especially if you have lived Quaden’s life. But my sister said: 'You know what, let’s get back to the real issue'. We want the money to go to community organizations that really need it.
"They know what the money should be spent on, So as much as we want to go to Disneyland, I think our community would far off benefit from that."
And earlier this week, life coach Brook Gibbs revealed that he was talking to Quaden in an effort to help the youngster process the "mean words/actions" he deal with from bullies.
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However, despite all the positive steps Quaden has made, and his mother has even been forced to respond to claims that he is actually an 18-year-old masquerading as a little boy.
PLEASE, if you or anybody you know is having suicidal thoughts, reach out to somebody or contact one of the mental health charities below:
CALM: www.thecalmzone.net, 0800 585 858
Heads Together: www.headstogether.org.uk
Mind: www.mind.org.uk, 0300 123 3393
Papyrus: www.papyrus-uk.org, 0800 068 41 41
Samaritans: www.samaritans.org, 116 123
If you are a non-UK resident, please find a list of mental health charities HERE.