The GoFundMe account was set by American comedian Brad Williams (also born with dwarfism), who was moved when he saw a video of Quaden Bayles in Brisbane in hysterics after a bullying incident. Williams set up a GoFundMe account to raise money to send the boy and his mother to Disneyland in California to help lift his spirit.
The boy was diagnosed with achondroplasia (a common form of dwarfism) three days after he was born and had been bullied his whole life. The dramatic video, shared by the boy’s mother on her Facebook account (which has now been deactivated or deleted since Sunday), showed him breaking down in tears and at one point saying “Give me a knife—I want to kill myself” and “I just want to die right now.”
“This is the impact that bullying has on a nine-year-old kid that just wants to go to school, get an education and have fun,” Yarraka Bayles, the mother, said in the video.
“I’ve got a son that is suicidal almost every single day. Every time there is a triggering—anything that happens at school or while we’re in public, which is almost every time we’re in public,” she added.
As the video went viral, having at least 19 million views and more than 300,000 shares last week, the GoFundMe page quickly gained traction and has since raised around $473,962.
However, speculation over the legitimacy of the boy’s story (which received the support of celebrities including Hollywood Australian actor Hugh Jackman who posted a message of support for the boy on his official Twitter) began to grow as the donations to the GoFundMe page kept increasing, including debunked conspiracies around whether he was really 9 years old.
Some wondered whether he was an 18-year-old actor or Instagram “influencer” after he was pictured next to a giant sign that said “18” on his Instagram account, which also has reportedly been deleted.
The story has seen several social media accounts claiming to be the official account of the boy and his mother emerge, with some even reportedly requesting donations via PayPal.
The fake social media accounts and rumors about the boy are addressed by different people who seem to know the boy on a Facebook page for Stand Tall 4 Dwarfism, which was reportedly set up by his mother several years ago. One of the posts addressed the fake accounts and claims that it is the only account that is managed by the mother, saying: “ANOTHER FAKE ACCOUNT PLEASE REPORT NOW!!! THIS IS MY ONLY ACCOUNT!.”
A post on the page by Walkabout Barber Enterprises noted: “I’m so disgusted at how Quaden and his family have been treated! Quaden is 9 not 18!
“Quaden is not an actor, he’s just a young kid with dreams to be successful, despite the curve balls that life has thrown at him!
“I have been friends with the Bayles family for a long time, and they are the most beautiful and the realist family that you would ever want to meet, unlike all of these gutless fucking wonders who are using fake profiles to taunt, to create lies and now send death threats to this innocent little family!, " Walkabout Barber Enterprises wrote.
On Thursday, however, Australia’s NITV (National Indigenous Television) reported that the boy’s family has decided to donate all of the money raised on the GoFundMe page to community charities.
Speaking to NITV, Mundanara Bayles, the boy’s aunt said: “What kid wouldn’t want to go to Disneyland, especially if you have lived Quaden’s life. To escape to anywhere that is fun that doesn’t remind him of his day to day challenges.”
“But my sister [the boy’s mother] said ‘you know what, let’s get back to the real issue’. This little fella has been bullied. How many suicides, black or white, in our society have happened due to bullying.
“We want the money to go to community organizations that really need it. They know what the money should be spent on, So as much as we want to go to Disneyland, I think our community would far off benefit from that.”
Dwarfism Awareness Australia and Balunu Healing Foundation are reportedly two organizations the family would like to see benefit from the funds.
Williams stated on the GoFundMe page on Friday: “The goal of this [GoFundMe] campaign continues to be helping Quaden and others across the US and Australia who are impacted by bullying and discrimination through the work of several charities.”
“I have been in close communication with Quaden’s family and fully respect their needs and the needs of Australian First Nations people who are experiencing bullying and discrimination at extremely high rates. Because of this, I’ve decided that the donations will be best served going to charities focused on helping individuals affected by bullying and discrimination,” he added.
Williams confirmed that approximately $66,000 will be donated to each of the following six charities: Born This Way Foundation, STOMP Out Bullying, Dolly’s Dream, Dwarfism Awareness Australia, Gallang Place and the Balunu Foundation.
“Since the family has kindly declined going to Disneyland, all remaining funds will go to Quaden Bayles for direct medical help, education, accommodation costs, food to feed the family, and donating to any additional charities of his choosing,” he added.
“If you preferred that your donation would be used to send Quaden to Disneyland and would like a refund, please contact the GoFundMe Customer Happiness team directly. Refund requests will be honored until 11:59 PM PST on March 12, 2020,” he said.
Newsweek has contacted Stand Tall 4 Dwarfism for a comment.
This story has been updated with comment from Brad Williams.
