Quaden Bayles crying after being bullied about his dwarfism


Bullying has been a problem forever, but it really does seem like kids these days have it especially rough and suicide rates amongst people under 18 have risen steadily over the last several years. Take this heartbreaking video as an example:




That's 9-year-old Quaden Bayles from Australia. Quaden has a condition commonly known as dwarfism, and his classmates apparently never let him forget it. In this heartwrenching video shared by his mother, Yarraka, we see him crying hysterically after yet another bullying incident - going so far as to demand a knife so he can just die. 


I have to be honest with you, watching this video first thing today f***ing broke me. There is no reason this child, at just 9 years old, should have to carry such an overwhelming burden of sadness during what should be some of his best years.


Thankfully, this story takes a positive turn. Yarraka's video quickly went viral, racking up tens of millions of views in just a few days. Messages of support have come pouring in from all around the globe:



Just got off a FaceTime chat with young Quaden he is In really great spirits today, I also spoke with his mother Yarraka about offering young Quaden some one on one boxing sessions and she loves the idea. Looking forward to teaching this little champ some deadly punches.





ank Schottle @TankSchottle Dear Quaden As a Special Olympics Athlete I stand with you I Love you ❤️

Dee Snider @deesnider Quaden... I wrote a song just for kids like you. It’s called We’re Not Gonna Take It! Sing it loud and proud!



PAIGE @RealPaigeWWE Share the love with this sweet angel! Seriously want him to see that bullies don’t control his life and there’s a whole world out there that loves him for who he is and that’s a beautiful human being! Red heart

Barrack Oleka @barrackoleka Maybe the bullies are just jealous of your swag Quaden #istandwithquaden

Deep Thoughts @quotetoponder We love you Quaden Bayles! ❤ #WeStandWithQuaden


Quaden's story ended up catching the attention of comedian Brad Williams, who also has dwarfism. Having grown up with the same condition, Brad understood Quaden's hurt all too well, and immediately reached out to him. 


JasonRalphMinorMendedMy♥️ @jasonralphfans Am I crying seeing dwarf comedian Brad Williams facetiming Quaden to tell him he knows what he’s going through and giving him hope? You betcha.


Brad also created a GoFundMe to send Quaden to Disneyland. The initial $10,000 goal was quickly surpassed, and the fund stands at around $270,000 at the time of writing. 


Brad Williams @funnybrad I’ve heard from men, women, all heights, all races, all parts of the LGBTQ+ community, all political affiliations. Everyone is helping. What a truly wonderful thing.


While the outpour of support has been inspiring to see, we can only hope that the broader lesson about teaching our kids to be more accepting of each other's differences isn't lost in the fray so we can create a future where videos like this aren't even a thing.