People rally around Quaden Bayles, Australian boy allegedly bullied at school for dwarfism after mom's viral video
A 9-year-old boy in Australia who was allegedly bullied at school is getting support from strangers around the world as well as celebrities including comedian Brad Williams and actor Hugh Jackman.
The story of Quaden Bayles went viral after his mom, Yarraka Bayles, shared a video on Facebook this week of Quaden crying about being bullied at school.
"It's been several times. Every time they have a new kid that's not aware of Quaden's condition it's bullying," Bayles says in the video. "We just went to pick him up and we saw a student patting him on the head and making fun of his height. I said, 'Do you want me to do something about it?' He ran to the car in hysterics because he doesn't want me to make a scene at the school, and God knows I will."
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"It's the constant bullying, the name-calling, obviously pointing out his difference," Bayles said of the alleged bullying against her son, who has a form of dwarfism. "So now we have a severely suicidal child who's sick of the bullying that is every single day that he attends school or is in public."
"So I just want people to know and see the impact because this could be your child or your child could be the bully that pushes a kid over the edge and God forbid we lose another child to suicide because of the bullying," she added.
The video now has 20 million views on Facebook.
It caught the eye of comedian Williams, who began to tweet about the video.
Williams, who also has a form of dwarfism, asked for help getting in touch with Quaden and his mom. After speaking with Bayles and sending a video message to Quaden, Williams set up a GoFundMe account to raise money to send the mother and son to Disneyland in California.
Williams' GoFundMe account has since raised more than $220,000, well beyond its $10,000 goal.
Williams, who could not be reached by ABC News, has said he will donate money left over after the family's Disneyland trip expenses are paid for to "anti-bullying/anti-abuse charities." He shared a photo on Thursday of a FaceTime call he had with Quaden.
Jackman, who is from Australia, also stepped up to support Quaden, sharing a video message on Twitter.
"Quaden, you are stronger than you know," Jackman says in the video. "And no matter what, you've got a friend in me."
Quaden, who could not be reached by ABC News, has also been befriended by a rugby team, the Indigenous All-Stars, and invited to lead them onto the field at their match in Queensland on Saturday. The hashtag #QuadenBayles has also begun trending on Twitter.
"A lot of my famous favorite people are messaging me on Instagram," Quaden told SBS Australia about the support he's received.
The 9-year-old also offered advice for both kids who are bullied and parents whom he says can help prevent bullying.
"Just stand up for yourself and don't listen to what they say," he said. "The parents should make their kids be nice to kids with disabilities."
