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A GoFundMe page set up to raise cash to send bullied Brisbane nine-year-old Quaden Bayles to Disneyland in California has raised more than $200,000.
- The video of Quaden crying after school has been viewed more than 8 million times
- American comedian Brad Williams, who also has Achondroplasia, saw the video and set up a GoFundMe
- Williams originally set a target of $US10,000 and says the rest of the cash will go towards anti-bullying organisations
The page was set up by US comedian Brad Williams after he saw a viral video of Quaden crying in the back seat of his mother's car after school.
Quaden is a Murri boy who lives with Achondroplasia, a common form of dwarfism, and reveals in the video, which was shot by his mother and has been viewed more than 8 million times, that he is feeling suicidal.
Williams also has Achondroplasia and told ABC Radio Sydney the video left him with a "broken heart".
"I myself have dwarfism. I myself was bullied as a child and with social media sometimes continue to be bullied. It really broke my heart when I saw Quade and I want to do something about it," he said.
As of Friday afternoon the page had reached $US140,000 ($212,000).
Williams, who is currently touring the US and is considering touring Australia in December, said the bullying towards people with dwarfism was similar to other forms of discrimination.
"A lot of it comes from the same place where a lot of racism comes from, where it's just a matter of ignorance, where people aren't familiar with people who are different," he said.
"So when they see someone who has dwarfism or something that they're not familiar with, and they're unsure of, the first instinct, very sadly, is to attack."
Williams isn't the only person to offer support to Quaden.
Earlier, the NRL Indigenous All Stars sent a personal message of support, and have invited him to lead them on to the field as they take on New Zealand Maori on the Gold Coast this Saturday.
Williams originally set a target of $US10,000, and says all the extra money raised will go towards anti-bullying and anti-abuse organisations.
Williams used to work at Disneyland and has promised to personally show Quaden and his mother Yarraka around the Anaheim theme park.
"It is my full intention to show him around the park … there will be photos, there will be video. You will see this kid meet Mickey (Mouse) and have a smile on his face as wide as the continent," he said.
Topics: bullying, indigenous-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander, social-media, brisbane-4000, united-states
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