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sophomore year and turned 15, the teasing and bullying reached new levels. I was threatened, accused of hitting on guys and even beat up one day after school. Having feelings of being alone, I turned to the only friend I knew would understand. The problem: it was long distance and my parents would not allow me to call (those calls were expensive back then). I got so desperate to talk to someone, I would call my friend and have the calls charged to someone else (and yes, that got me into a lot of trouble).
value of human life, and to belittle others to make yourself seem powerful and dominate is WEAK! To the bullies out there: Whatever it is that you are going through at home, trying to prove to yourself or someone else- it’s not worth it. Making someone feel so badly about themselves, to the point that person attempting suicide, is nothing short of evil. Stop and think about how this person feels. How would you feel if
the behavior. And if you know about it- you are just as much to blame! How dare you allow your children to treat others this way and at times, endorse it. Think about how you would feel attending your child’s funeral because bullying led to suicide! To those of you who know someone that is being bullied: Stand up for them, get help to stop it. If you know a friend is in pain and needs help, be the one! You will undoubtedly make
Finally, the day came where I reached my limit. The bullying had become overwhelming, not being able to talk to my best friend was taking its toll and getting caught again with the long distance scam I was running was getting me in trouble. It was all too much. In a very sudden and impulsive act, I went into my parents’ bedroom, found my dad’s gun, went into the bathroom and shot myself in the stomach. “It didn’t work, I had not succeeded in killing myself”, I will remember thinking for the rest of my life. The pain of the shot was unbearable, and I as laid on the bathroom floor I could hear my brother and grandmother screaming. Everything else happened so quickly, but the pain seemed to linger! I remember being in the ambulance begging to die and wanting it to all be over; obviously someone had other plans for me. After several surgeries, a colostomy (that thankfully was reversed), and therapy, I started to realize it wasn’t me; it was how I let others make me feel. Looking back on it today, I know that none of it was worth it or made any sense. Now I am just happy to be alive, happy and loved. I am not saying that since that time in my life I have not faced struggles or demons of my own. I face each battle head on. I just know that there is nothing in this world more important than the
someone knew of your weakness and exploited it for game? To the parents of the bullies: Get involved in your kids’ lives and stop PAGE 15
a huge difference in their life! To the parents of the bullied: Talk to your children, force them to talk to you and continued on page 16