A 12-year-old boy passed away from suicide after suffering from bullying for years.
The body of the sixth grader Andrew Leach, who attended Southaven Middle School, Mississippi, was found by his 16-year-old brother, alongside a heartbreaking suicide note that talked about the bullying Andrew had been suffering.
According to Andrew’s father, Matt Leach, Andrew’s bullying had worsened after he came out as bisexual to his school. His sexual orientation had been something he had been struggling with for a while, and the bullying had been happening for even longer – to both Andrew and his brother.
Andrew’s mother, Cheryl Hudson, describes Andrew as a loving person with a contagious smile, who always wanted to cheer others up. She knew about the bullying and said that kids would call Andrew fat, worthless, and ugly. Both she and Matt – who said some kids threatened to hurt Andrew – had spoken to the principal and a teacher about it, but it hadn’t helped much.
Both parents have talked about how this is far from the first case of suicide as a result of bullying, and they would want other kids to realize how their actions can affect others, as well as for parents to talk to their kids more.
A GoFundMe page was set up in Andrew’s memory, and Cheryl would like to set up an anti-bullying organization in his honor. The page has raised over $10,000 so far.
