A 10-year-old Kentucky boy committed suicide after being bullied incessantly by classmates, who reportedly picked on for using a colostomy bag.
Seven Bridges’ mother found him dead in the closet on Saturday (Jan. 19). Tami Charles was reportedly out grocery shopping, and the boy’s father Donnie was at a church choir practice. Charles called Seven, her only child, a miracle baby, as she was told that she wouldn’t be able to have children.
“Seven had a tough start. He was born with a condition that required a colostomy bag. Even after several surgeries, he would still have problems with leaks. Charles said it became a reason for kids to make fun of him,” reports WHAS11 in Kentucky. According to Charles, her son underwent 26 surgeries from the time he was born.
“WHAS11 talked to Charles and Seven in September after an alleged bullying incident on his bus ride home from Kerrick Elementary School,” the site continues. This is unfortunately not the first time bullying has severely affected Seven and his family. “He said he was called the N-word by a student. His friend told him to beat-up that student, and when Seven refused, he said the bus buddy started choking him.” This incident was detailed on Tami’s Facebook page.
Seven, who was planning on going to another school to start sixth grade, was told by his mother than the bullying would end when he changed schools.
“The balls that were dropped,” Tami said of the flawed system that couldn’t protect bullying victims at the school. “It wasn’t that [Jefferson County Public Schools] didn’t have these tools, they just weren’t at our school. It wasn’t that they didn’t have these tools to help the victims of bullying, they just weren’t there, they weren’t used.”
Due to the manner of the boy’s death, insurance will not cover the costs of his funeral. If you’d like to help the family, please click here.
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