Did you ever go to school and feel left out? Did everyone around you have someone to play with or have a group of friends and you were alone to entertain yourself?
A lot of younger children experience loneliness which can lead to bullying. One video of a young boy went viral on TikTok after he knocked on a couple’s door saying “I was wanting to see if you knew any kids around 11 or 12 maybe cause I need some friends really bad.”
Shayden Walker’s cry for help touched the couple’s heart and had no idea that after ringing the doorbell, his luck would change.Â
Although the Ray family did not have any children that were Shayden’s age, they uploaded the video from their doorbell camera on TikTok. The heartfelt video went viral online and the family then created a GoFundMe page raising nearly $40,000.
Shayden spoke about his situation and said “Kids were manipulating me and they would be my friend by when they ask me to do something horrible, I don’t feel like they’re actually my friend.” The video of Shayden flapping his arms in the camera and speaking showed signs of a lack of confidence which the young student overcame.
His mother Krishna Patterson commented on the bullying towards her son saying “He stims very hard, he flaps his arms and makes noises that a lot of people have made fun of. So he told me I just deal with the pain of holding it in so I don’t get made fun of because of it, and that hurt. That broke my heart.”
She also mentioned Shayden being “hospitalised because the bullying was so bad, and he felt isolated. If you see it, just advocate for that person. Just be there for that person. Do not let that person suffer.”
Brennan Ray, the family who uploaded the video said “If you can be the one to stand out and you know help somebody else set that trend, make that the trend to be set to not be a bully.”
In an interview after the video went viral, Shayden said “My self-confidence has gone through the roof.”
When asked what message he would want to tell others, Shayden said “How would you like it if someone were to bully you? How would that make you feel?”Â
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