A 9-year-old boy in Australia became a viral sensation on Thursday, after his mother posted a heartbreaking video of him saying that he wanted to die after being bullied at school.
Quaden Bayles, who suffers from Achondroplasia dwarfism, has been driven to such a low point by incessant bullying at this school, that he says he wants to stab himself “in the heart.”
That video, seen by tens of millions, was also seen by ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong, who extended an offer of free MMA lessons to young Quaden. And, according to Sityodtong, Quaden’s mother Yarraka happily accepted the offer.
“I just spoke to his amazing mom, Yarraka, over the phone,” Sityodtong said. “She has graciously accepted my invitation to come to Singapore for an all-expenses-paid vacation so Quaden can learn martial arts at EVOLVE.
“Our instructors will be sure to bully-proof Quaden. If he wakes up from his nap, we plan to FaceTime tonight. Yarraka said that he might sleep through the night. If so, we will FaceTime tomorrow. Let us all take the opportunity to show little Quaden how much the world cares.”
Before or after his trip to Singapore, however, Quaden will need to make a trip to Disneyland with the more than $250,000 raised on a GoFundMe page begun by comedian Brad Williams, who also has achondroplasia.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn