Bullying is unacceptable.
When no one intervenes, its effect can last well into adulthood and can destroy young lives. The experiences kids have during their early years can mold them into the adults they become in the future.
Liam O’Brien was a victim of bullying.
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The boy used to be very happy and very positive. He’s quite active at school. In fact, he liked to play sports. He even made it into his school’s soccer team.
Liam went into seventh grade with no problems – then things changed.
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At first, he was happy and made lots of friends. He met them often and they were always on the go.
But when winter came, Liam returned his phone to his mom. When she asked why he only said that there was too much drama.
He stopped going out.
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Liam stopped making plans with his friends. Most of the time, he’s at home with his parents.
Although the idea of having their kid with them at home made them happy, Liam’s parents didn’t stop asking him if everything was alright.
The boy kept saying that he’s fine.
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Obviously, he wasn’t. And even though he wasn’t saying anything, they knew that there’s something wrong with him.
One day, Liam came home very upset.
He told his mom that someone had punched him while he was on his way to the bus. He didn’t know who it was.
Liam’s parents reported the incident. Unfortunately, there were no cameras in the area so they couldn’t identify who it was.
Summer came and the boy stopped eating normally.
He began eating just one meal a day and it left his parents super worried. However, each time they asked him what was going on, he insisted that he’s fine.
After coming home with a bruise on his face, Liam’s parents begged him to tell them what’s going on at school.
The boy couldn’t hold it anymore and told them everything. To his parents’ shock, he revealed that he’s been seriously bullied.
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In an interview with Today, they shared:
“It started when he made the soccer team. Two kids told him he sucked and shouldn’t have made the team. There were unnecessary pushes and kicks. He was told he was weird, he was fat, his freckles were weird, his eyebrows were weird. They used horrible language and called him nasty words. I asked him how often it happened. He looked at me crying and said, ‘Every day, Mom.”
After hearing everything, they decided to reach out to Liam’s school.
An investigation was started but the results brought no justice.
The parents shared:
“I was told Liam’s perception may have been different from reality. They just couldn’t find evidence that this happened. I have a picture of a bruise on his face, they said staff said he didn’t exhibit behavior that would suggest something just happened to him.”
An amazing response since the bullying made Liam so sick he nearly died.
He needed a heart monitor and a feeding tube to manage the effects of his depression and eating disorder which resulted from being bullied. He had a hard time but his family continued to stay strong for him.
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Fortunately, with lots of hard work to recover from the ordeal, Liam returned to his family – AND the same school!
Be sure to scroll down below to hear more about Liam’s remarkable story.
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