Comedian Brad Williams and his nearly 100,000 Twitter followers are making a boy's dream come true after a mom's Facebook video describing the bullying her son faces went viral.
The 9-year-old boy, who has dwarfism like Williams, has earned more than $350,000 in donations for a trip to Disney World in less than 48 hours. The goal was for just $10,000.
The fundraiser exploded late Thursday and early Friday as it increased from $50,000 Thursday afternoon to $350,000 24 hours later.
Quaden, a 9-year-old from Australia, has been getting bullied at school from his classmates, his mom said. Yarraka Bayles posted a video on Facebook saying when her son came home from school on Tuesday, he was in hysterics.
"I’ve just picked my son up from school, witnessed a bullying episode, rang the principal, and I want people to know – parents, educators, teachers – this is the effect that bullying has,” Bayles said.
Bayles mentioned several times that the bullying was giving her son suicidal thoughts.
“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 said.
Bayles' video has garnered 12 million views by Thursday.
On Wednesday, Williams launched the fundraiser.
"Let’s show Quaden and others, that there is good in the world and they are worthy of it," he said. "I have been in touch directly with Quaden’s mother."
Williams indicated that any excess money raised will be donated to anti-bullying and anti-abuse charities.
