A little boy is bravely overcoming bullying and anxiety and trying to make the world a better place for other young victims, just months after he left a note on his teacher’s desk praying to end his life.
Jack Wilkinson had been a victim of bullying for years, and suffered with anxiety for which the bullies at school called him ‘crazy’.
When the youngster could no longer cope with relentless bullying and cruel taunts, he wrote a desperate note to his teacher and left it on her desk.
Just weeks before, he’d been badly beaten in the school playground, his mother Kristy Sturgess told Daily Mail Australia.
The seven-year-old from north-west Sydney, Australia wrote:
God, please take me.
His mum recalled how devastated Jack had been after the violent incident in the playground. That night he’d returned home and written, ‘I don’t want to be alive’ on his pillow.
Kristy, who’s also mum to Jack’s twin, Hunter, said:
Jack was physically hit and kicked in the playground for nearly 10 minutes, and was stabbed with a plastic fork in the back.
I remember getting to pick Jack up [that day], and he was limping and holding his shoulder, in tears. He had bruises on his legs, and a fork mark in his shoulder. I just broke down in tears.
That was the final straw for Jack after going through such a hard few years. He was seven, and he was just done.
Now, things are looking up for Jack who, with the help of his mum, external counsellors and programs, including art therapy, has built up a little more confidence after his horrible ordeal.
Jack has always loved to draw, his mum says, and is now channeling that talent into making t-shirts, which raise funds for the anti-bullying charity Kid’s Helpline.
Ms Sturgess said supporting the children’s organisation, which offers counselling over the phone or online 24 hours a day, was a way to help people like her son.
In a statement on Jack’s website, the brave little guy said:
It makes me better when I talk to someone and when I know they’re doing something about the bad things, it makes me feel safe.
Now, I feel pretty good. But other people are going through the same things as I did and having a hard time. It would be nice for them to be able to talk to Kids Helpline.
It would be nice, they’d have a friend, and wouldn’t be as sad or scared.
If you are aged 5 to 25, or a parent or carer, and need confidential 24-hour support, contact Kid’s Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or head to their website.
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A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.