10-year-old Seven Bridges, of Louisville, Ky, tragically took his own life after being bullied for wearing a colostomy bag.
To his mother, Tami Charles, Seven was a miracle child because she was told she couldn’t have children of her own.
He was born with serious health problems in 2008 and was forced to use a colostomy bag from birth.
via NYDN:
“Twenty-six surgeries from the day my son was born,” explained Charles. “He just wanted to be normal, that’s all.”
On Jan. 19, while his father was attending church choir practice and his mother was grocery shopping, Seven walked into a closet and took his own life. Police did not release the cause of death.
“For the few minutes that we left, he didn’t want us to see that,” said Seven’s father, Donnie Bridges.
Even in elementary school, Seven was a victim of bullying. In September, The boy claimed he was called the N-word by another student on a bus ride home. When he refused to fight the bully, he was choked.
“I still can’t get him choking me out of my head,” Seven told TV station WHAS in September.
Charles demanded the school board open a probe back then. Now, with her son dead, she plans to take legal action.
“The balls that were dropped, it wasn’t that (the school board) didn’t have these tools, they just weren’t at our school,” said Charles. “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.”
Knowing how the bullying had taken a toll on her son, Seven’s mother told him things would get better at a different school once he started sixth grade.
“We kept telling him this all will be over,” said Charles, discussing how kids wouldn’t know about his health condition. Now, her greatest hope is that Seven’s short, sad tale will make bullies reconsider picking on others and, hopefully, make the world a little bit kinder.
Rest in peace, Seven. If you’d like to donate to his family’s GoFundMe, click here.
