Fundraiser soars past $200,000 for bullying victim Quaden Bayles - Brisbane Times

Ms Bayles said she was hoping to raise awareness of the impact of bullying in schools when she posted the video.

"We are losing way too many people because of bullying, because of discrimination, because of racism. There’s so many factors of bullying," Ms Bayles said at press conference on Friday.

"It’s every parents worst nightmare losing their babies and for me that’s my reality every day. That’s what I have to prepare for the worst because of everything he’s going through and with his medical condition, the suicide attempts are very real and people don’t understand that.

"On top of that being an Aboriginal boy with a disability, people don’t understand that’s a double-edged sword. There’s racism and then there’s discrimination because of the disability."

The video prompted people from across the globe to rally around Quaden, including the NRL Indigenous All Stars team who have invited the nine-year-old to lead out the side for their Gold Coast match against the Maori All Stars on Saturday night.

Ms Bayles said the gesture meant the world to Quaden.

"He said it was going from the worst day of his life to the best day of his life.

"He’s very excited, he’s getting prepped up. He’s gotta go find his footy boots and make sure he’s fit and healthy to do the honours tomorrow night."

The confronting footage made an impression on US comedian Bradley Williams, who also has Achondroplasia and vowed to shower Quaden with joy and send a message to bullies.

"I’m setting up this GoFundMe to let Quaden know that bullying will not be tolerated, and that he is a wonderful human being who deserves joy," Williams wrote.

"I want to fly Quaden and his mother to America, get them a nice hotel, and bring them to Disneyland.

"This isn’t just for Quaden, this is for anyone who has been bullied in their lives and told they weren’t good enough.

"Let’s show Quaden and others that there is good in the world and they are worthy of it."

Williams set an initial goal of $10,000 to cover flights, accommodation, tickets and food, with any additional money to be donated to "anti-bullying/anti-abuse charities".

As of Friday evening more than $200,000 had been raised.

While the immense show of support has moved the family, Ms Bayles said scammers were exploiting the situation and setting up fake fundraising pages.

"This [Williams' page] is the only legit GoFundMe that we have authorised. We are aware of other fake accounts so please report if you see them. Thanks in advance," she said.

The video of Quaden strongly resonated with newly signed Rabbitoh Latrell Mitchell.

"Quaden, how are you going, cuz? We just want to wish you all the best," said Mitchell in a clip, which was posted to the NRL's official facebook page on Thursday.

"We know you're going through a hard time now, but we're here, we've got your back and we're here to support you."

If you or anyone you know needs support you can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800 and beyondblue on 1300 224 636.