A 12-year-old girl left her parents a heartbreaking final message before taking her own life.
As previously reported, Charlotte O'Brien, a student at Santa Sabina College in Sydney, Australia, tragically died earlier this month.
The young girl's grieving family shared news of her passing in a letter read aloud by 2GB host Ben Fordham, announcing that Charlotte was allegedly a victim of relentless school bullying for two years.
"Hi Ben, earlier this week our family experienced a day that will haunt us for the rest of our lives,' the statement read, per the outlet. "We lost our baby girl in the most awful of circumstances. She was just 12 years old."
The 12-year-old's loved ones told the radio host and listeners that their lives "will never be the same again," adding: "Charlotte has left such a big hole in our lives, and she's so deeply, deeply missed. The reports you have received are correct. My daughter was bullied by girls that still attend the school today."
The radio host then read a goodbye message the schoolgirl left for her family, warning that the content was "deeply upsetting," before continuing: "She wrote a goodbye note specifically mentioning the bullying she received at the school. She said life was too difficult for her to continue."
The family claimed that they recently raised the issue of bullying with the school but were brushed aside after the alleged girls involved denied it during the investigation.
"That’s it. Case closed. Move on. Well, my beautiful daughter’s life won’t move on and I’ll never get to say goodbye," they said, declaring that they won't let Charlotte's memory "be swept under the carpet either."
“How many more children need to lose their lives before they get it? How many parents need to feel the pain of never being able to pick up their child from school again before they get it? We’re broken forever," they concluded.
According to The Sunday Telegraph, the late student wrote a selfless final request to her parents, saying: "Mama, please share my story to raise awareness."
She also encouraged her family to "tell the school" about her suffering and penned a message about her baby brother, which read: "Please, Mama, live for Will because I can't anymore," per Daily Mail.
Mat and Kelly are still trying to come to grips with what has happened, telling the Australian outlet: "The other thing that is troubling for us is that we had such a great last day with her... I hadn't seen her that happy coming home from school in a long time."
Her mother Kelly added: “She would be really, really heartbroken to think that she would ever be described as something that ruined our lives, so her death, as devastating as it is, can’t ruin our lives, because she’s what made us whole.”
The parents believe Santa Sabrina College could have done more to stop the bullying inflicted on Charlotte as they sent them several emails from 2022 to 2024 about the little girl coming home from school "in tears".
Meanwhile, the school's principal Paulina Skerman has defended its handling of bullying, saying its anti-bullying policy was available on its website.
“Our Anti-Bullying Policy is available on our website and was developed in consultation with the Association of Independent Schools of NSW, and further approved earlier this year by the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA),” she said, per News.com.au.
“Our students and our families are highly informed on the policy and the procedures for reporting and resolving matters of concern, and they utilize this as needed," the principal continued. “Our focus as a College is the ongoing support and care for our students, their families, and our staff, and to supporting Charlotte’s family through their unimaginable grief."
“We are continuing to work with Headspace and other providers to ensure that we follow the most supportive and safest practices for our community at this time," the school added.
Our thoughts continue to be with Charlotte's family at this time.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org..jpg_0W4bPE?tr=h-40)
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