Bullied Teen Attempts Suicide, Left Permanently Brain Damaged
by Kevin Caruso
Tom (his parents only want his first name used), is from Anchorage Alaska, and was an extremely intelligent and talented boy. He excelled in school, loved science, played the clarinet, was an expert rock climber, and obtained his pilot's license at age 14.
The future looked bright for this intellectually gifted, hard-working, strong, and tremendously talented boy.
But his life became very difficult when he entered middle school. Tom walked with a limp because of a physical problem that he had since birth. And he was also somewhat physically uncoordinated because of this condition. And because of these problems, Tom was incessantly bullied by several cowards at his middle school.
The cowardly bullies constantly physically and verbally abused him. He also was constantly shunned - which is another form of bullying. Students would not sit with him during lunch, and they would avoid him when walking down the hallway.
Sometimes they would knock his books out of his hands and laugh at him.
Tom was in the school band, and once some cowardly bullies took his clarinet and threw it in the garbage can.
The bullies constantly taunted him.
One day Tom entered the washroom, and some cowardly bullies followed him and kicked and punched him.
Tom was horrified and went to school administrators to tell them what happened, but Tom, unbelievably, was suspended along with the bullies.
When Tom returned to school, he was assaulted again in the washroom.
And Tom was suspended again, even though he was the victim of the assault.
Tom was now suffering from depression and was constantly afraid. And on November 6, 1998, as he was walking down the hallway, he was pushed to the ground by a cowardly bully.
Unbelievably, Tom was suspended yet again, even though he was the victim.
The next day, Tom hanged himself.
When his mother returned home, she found Tom and called 911. When paramedics arrived, Tom did not have a pulse, but after 15 minutes of CPR, his heart began working.
But it was too late, Tom was left with permanent brain-damage.
Tom's parents sued the school district, and reached a settlement out of court.
And the attorney that represented Tom was so outraged by the bullying that he started an anti-bullying program in the area.
Tom cannot feed himself. He is fed by a special tube that inserts near his stomach. He cannot walk. He barely can move. He has constant muscle spasms, and sometimes his limbs flail uncontrollably. His mouth hangs open, and his eyes have a glazed, blank look to them.
The school failed Tom in every way. Tom asked for help, but instead was punished by the school administrators.
Tom's parents also told school administrators what was happening and asked for help, but received nothing.
The school, Central Middle School, in Anchorage, Alaska, is a disgrace.
It was inexcusable to allow this wonderful young man to be bullied incessantly, especially when he was reaching out for help. The incompetence and negligence on the part of school administrators does not get any worse than this.
It was as if they were actually trying to help the bullies kill Tom.
And these administrators should not be employed at any school. They are not only incompetent, they are dangerous.
It is no consolation for Tom's parents to receive a settlement from a lawsuit. They pursued civil action because it was the only thing that they could do. Nothing will reverse Tom's brain damage.
I am deeply sickened, disgusted, and outraged at everyone at this school that did nothing to help Tom.
All of you, who sat and did nothing, cannot even be called human beings.
Criminals is the appropriate word.
All schools should have an anti-bullying policy in place, which needs to include a zero tolerance for bullying.
Please click below for more information.
Bulling and Suicide
And all schools should have a suicide prevention program in place. You may obtain a free program by clicking below.
Free Suicide Prevention Program for Schools
If you or someone you know is suicidal, please go to the Home Page of this website for immediate help.
Thank you.
I love you.
Take care,
Kevin Caruso
