Quaden Bayles was left distraught after being bullied at school. His mum shared the heartbreaking video online. Photo / Supplied / Facebook
Quaden Bayles was left distraught after being bullied at school. His mum shared the heartbreaking video online. Photo / Supplied / Facebook
The bullied boy from Brisbane has left the world completely floored by his "selfless" decision to decline the Disneyland trip people had banded together to pay for.
US comedian Brad Williams raised more than $700,000 through a GoFundMe page to send Quaden Bayles to Disneyland after a heartbreaking video of the boy went viral.
But Quaden's family yesterday revealed they won't be accepting any of the $700,000 raised to send the nine-year-old on a dream holiday, insisting the money go to charity instead.
"What kid wouldn't want to go to Disneyland, especially if you have lived Quaden's life," his Aunty Mundanara Bayles told NITV News.
"But my sister said 'you know what, let's get back to the real issue'. We want the money to go to community organisations that really need it."
The decision to not take the trip came after a bizarre and cruel false conspiracy theory about his age went viral on Twitter. And it left many heartbroken and proud in equal measures.
Quaden Bayles, center, his mother, Yarraka Bayles, and Cody Walker, a professional rugby league player, pose together. Photo / AP
"Bullied boy gets bullied out of a trip to Disneyland. This is the world we live in," one person wrote on Twitter, a sentiment echoed by many.
"That little Quaden Bayles kid didn't even ask for that Disneyland trip but you bullied him out of that too. At least it's all going to charity." another said.
Another wrote: "To all those who abused this poor boy and his family out of his trip to Disneyland, you should be ashamed of yourselves."
According to the GoFundMe page, the funds raised were to go towards two plane tickets for Quaden and his mother to travel from Australia to Los Angeles.
It would also cover hotel, food, and tickets to Disneyland Park in Anaheim for multiple days. "After all the flights, hotel, tickets, and food is paid for, any excess money will be donated to anti-bullying/anti-abuse charities," the page said. The fundraising campaign was started after a video emerged showing Quaden "in hysterics" as he spoke about the toll bullying had on him.
Bullied boy Quaden Bayles and his family have declined the $700k Disneyland trip, insisting the money is donated to charities that "need it" @newscomauHQhttps://t.co/90zmA6zGgB
"Give me a knife – I want to kill myself," Quaden tells his mum through tears, adding: "I just want to die right now."
The video went viral immediately in Australia and overseas with NRL footy players rallying around him along with other celebrities including Australian actor Hugh Jackman and UK TV host Piers Morgan.
The huge attention saw the heartwarming tale take a bizarre twist — when a theory emerged online claiming Quaden was actually 18-years-old and the whole story is a cash "scam".
Multiple "fake" Instagram and GoFundMe accounts were also created.
Despite the wrongful claims, many people defended young Quaden, sharing photos and screenshots taken from Ms Bayles and Quaden's Instagram accounts, citing them as evidence the rumour is a "lie".
Others called out the rumour as even more bullying, labelling those spreading it "shameful".
#QuadenBayles He's 18 ? No he's actually 9, like he says. These posts prove that they ain't lying. Look at the dates, he turned 9 two months ago. pic.twitter.com/gtz1ANmIKT
It was shared alongside photos of Quaden at an 18th birthday party, posing alongside a light-up 18 sign, claiming the captions had been changed to hide the fact the party was actually his.
While Ms Bayles is yet to comment on the claims herself, she has shared two posts on both hers and Quaden's Instagram accounts warning followers of "fake" accounts.
A spokesperson for the family told news.com.au they would not be commenting on the conspiracy theory circulating.
But the bizarre backlash eventually saw the family decline the kind offer and many pointed out they "had no choice".
Continue the conversation @RebekahScanlan | rebekah.scanlan@news.com.au
