How much more can you tolerate bullying when even little kids consider suicide? Seven-year-old Jackson Bezzant was a victim of bullying and children were laughing at him most of his life.
He could not even sit down to eat at school without children older than him calling him ‘ugly’ or ‘monster’.
Fortunately, one of the teachers told Jackson’s mother about it, even though the bullying had to stop long before that.
When Jackson’s father, Dan, heard what had happened, he could not stop the tears.
His beloved son was born with Treacher Collins Syndrome, a rare disease that affected the development of bones in Jackson’s face, and left him almost completely deaf.
Jackson’s father, Dan, was a witness to terrible things that people of all ages said about the looks of his son.
“Once, a woman passed by and we could hear her say, ‘Did you see that little boy’s face?’”, Dan said.
After hearing what had happened to Jackson at school, Dan decided to do something about it.
But he didn’t expect his Facebook post to cause such a reaction.
Read on to see why Dan’s words touched the souls of many people ..
This is Jackson Bezzant, and he’ll soon be celebrating his 8th birthday.
Jackson was born with Treacher Collins Syndrome, a disease that affects the development of facial bones. His hearing and vision were also damaged as a result, and he uses hearing aid.
As you can probably guess, the young boy has already gone through a lot in his short life.
Recently, Jackson’s father, Dan, heard something that made him cry.
One morning at school, while Jackson was in the cafeteria, some older children started bullying him. They called him ‘monster’, and other names.
Dan decided it was enough for him. And wrote a soulful post on Facebook that described the case:
“My heart is in pieces right now.. my soul feels like it’s ripping from my chest.. this beautiful young man, my son Jackson, has to endure a constant barrage of derogatory comments and ignorance like i’ve never witnessed. He is called ugly, freak and monster on a daily basis by his peers at school. He talks about suicide.. he’s not even 8 yet! He says he has no friends and everyone hates him. Kids throw rocks at him and push him, shouting these horrific words.. please please take a minute and imagine if this was your child. Take a minute to educate your children about special needs. Talk to them about compassion and love for our fellow man. His condition is called Treacher Collins. Maybe even look it up. He’s endured horrific surgery and has several more in the coming years. Anyway, I could go on.. but please educate your children. Please.. share this. This shouldn’t be happening.. to anyone.”
Dan did not expect his Facebook post to become viral, but that’s exactly what happened.
Now, children at Jackson’s school changed their behavior towards him. They want to be his friends and protect him from bullies.
Dan notes that he does not want to blame the teachers at Jackson’s school. Instead, he says it is the responsibility of the parents, who need to raise and teach their children to respect others, as well as children different from them.
“I want parents to see my post and feel how sad.It can be any child anywhere”, Dan said. “Please educate your children and tell them that bullying is not right”.
Dan said his Facebook post helped him and Jackson connect with two other families in their area who also have children with Treacher Collins Syndrome. Now they plan to meet on a regular basis!
