Quaden Bayles’ story of bullying went viral. His mother has opened up on the ‘frenzy’ of support - Fox Sports

Quaden Bayles has spoken for the first time since he went viral with his heart-breaking tale of being relentlessly bullied, and he has an inspiring message for those suffering the same fate.

Nine-year-old Quaden has enjoyed a global outpouring of support since his mother posted on social media this week a gut-wrenching video of his reaction to being bullied, saying he wanted to commit suicide.

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Now Quaden has spoken out about how to handle the despicable taunts.

“If you get bullied, just stand up for yourself and don’t listen to what they say,” he said in an interview with National Indigenous Television (NITV) on Friday.

He also wants parents to take responsibility for educating their children.

“The parents should make their kids be nice to people with disabilities,” Quaden said.

Meanwhile, Quaden’s mother wants to use their new-found public platform to act as a voice for those who are “suffering in silence”.

Yarraka Bayles poses with son Quaden.Source: News Corp Australia

Bayles thankful for support

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Members of the Indigenous All Stars team saw the video and immediately reached out to young Quaden, and have since brought him into camp with them on the Gold Coast.

Quaden will hold captain Joel Thompson’s hand and lead the team out onto Cbus Super Stadium on Saturday night.

Quaden is Aboriginal, and suffers from a common form of dwarfism.

His mother, Yarraka, says he is bullied so relentlessly he has become suicidal.

Queensland boy Quaden Bayles has been distraught after suffering bullying at school. Picture: SuppliedSource: Supplied

“We are losing way too many people because of bullying, because of discrimination, because of racism, there’s so many factors of bullying,” she told media on Friday.

“You look at the suicide rates within our communities, it’s going through the roof.

“We’ve got to ask ourselves what are we doing individually, as families, as communities, as a nation, to make sure these numbers aren’t increasing.

“The gap is not closing, it is widening, and that’s the reality we face every day as first nation’s people.

Bullying breaks Quaden down

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“Quaden is in the highest statistic, with being a young Aboriginal boy, in the world. They are taking their lives at the highest rate.

“That is my legacy, that’s why we are doing what we’re doing, we are not suffering in silence any more.

“My heart goes out to those families that have already lost their children to bullying. It’s been way too many and it’s something that needs to be addressed.

“It’s every parent’s worst nightmare, losing their babies, and for me that’s my reality every day, that’s what I have to prepare for.

“Everything he is going for, with his medical condition, the suicide attempts are very real and people don’t understand that.”

All-stars touching invitation

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Yarraka says the support Quaden has received in recent days has been overwhelming.

There’s also been a GoFundMe campaign set up which has generated over $150,000 to send him to Disneyland.

His spirits were instantly lifted when Cody Walker - who captained the Indigenous All Stars last year - contacted the family.

“He said it was going from the worst day of his life to the best day of his life. I think that sums it up perfectly,” she said.

“We are very blessed to have such an amazing support network within our own community and also worldwide.

“He’s got the whole indigenous community plus the short-statured community around the world, so we have to make sure we use this platform positively, to be a voice for those that don’t have a voice.”

Latrell Mitchell with Quaden BaylesSource: Supplied

Walker stood side-by-side with Quaden and Yarraka as they spoke to media on the Gold Coast.

He says he is proud the All Stars were able to reach out and help the family.

“Obviously we’re in a pretty privileged position to be sports stars. Seeing that (video) hurt us in so many ways and we thought quickly about what we could do to lift his spirits,” Walker said.

“One of the vehicles in the Aboriginal community is rugby league. This is a very important game within those communities.

“What better way than to get Quaden down here on the Gold Coast, be a part of our team, lead us out like the young warrior he is, and show him we love him, the broader community love him.

“He’s doing a wonderful job in standing up for this type of behaviour.”