The Valley Ledger received a message from an individual who was the victim of bullying. They shared with us the anguish caused by bullying and the path of self-destruction that went along with it.
I wanted to present this as an opportunity to show that there is help available and that people being bullied should never feel alone or that help is out of reach. I started looking for resources to share that could be of benefit to those in need of help. It was not as easy as I thought. There are tons of resources available once you have hit rock bottom but finding help to stop bullying before it forces someone down a destructive path simply is hard to find.
I tried doing a search for resources in our area and found out dated event links and articles from years past. Except for stopbullying.gov information about getting help is hard to find. I even looked at the county websites and had to dig several pages deep to simply end up with suicide prevention hotlines. I strongly feel we should be able to find help for those being bullied long before we need “Crisis Intervention Services”.
A quick search across the school district websites in Lehigh & Northampton counties did not turn up any easy to find resources. About all that was found was a statement that the schools had an anti-bullying policy. I am sure that there is service available in these schools. How easily can the children reach these services? Can they reach these services without being bullied in the process? I challenge every district to put an easy to find link on the front page of their districts website so that parents and children can easily find and initiate contact to get help.
“Making it easier to address a problem head on is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of leadership and strength. Please don’t be afraid to make it easier to give a voice to a problem before it is too late.”
The next section is a true story that was given to us to share. Our intent in sharing is to show the effects bullying can have on others, and to let those being bullied know that no matter what your struggle is, you are not alone.
July 20th 1991 i was born, May 1st 1993 i was adopted. Being born with left hip dysplasia and a cleft lip and palate, i was in and out of DuPont Children’s Hospital in Wilmington Delaware. During multiple surgeries and painful healing, i grew. i still went to school, but physically, mentally and emotionally struggled. Year 2003 i made a few friends, but was bullied by one as the start. i was kicked in the shins, punched in my arms and peer pressured to hump a wall in the girl’s bathroom. Came home with bruises and eyes filled with tears. Year 2005 i had another good friend till she met a bully in 2006, that’s when things started to really crumble underneath me. That good friend ended up pushing me aside for the bully. Horrible enough with the friend i was close with, together they tried destroying me. Eventually a few more bullies came into the picture. Year 2007 things were alright, i even fell in love, my first real boyfriend i ever had, but sadly didn’t last. 2008, 2009, and 2010 were only very bad years for me. More bullying came till another surgery, rhinoplasty in 2009. From that i was given pain pills that changed my life forever. From taking only one dose, i had my first high, a moment for once i finally felt emotionally pain FREE. i didn’t know the name of them, only the color, those pink pills from changed everything. Still going to school, being bullied and coming home feeling miserable till tears at night, i remembered there were left overs, feeling very upset and in tears from a bad day at school, i took a dose, the tears stopped and i was able to sleep, but a substance abuse began. The next few mornings i woke up with bad stomach aches, but walking down halls was like walking on clouds. i’ve never been so messed up in my life i loved it. i was still verbally and physically bullied profusely, but the words started getting foggy in my mind. Foggy enough i started dosing off, slipping into deep sleeps during class. it felt like i was dying peacefully but in a public eye. When noticed i was woken being asked if i was alright, mumbling “yeah” my mom was called. Details from that i don’t remember, most of the school years i don’t remember from what i was doing. One night i didn’t take any and things got really bad, causing many serious concerns, only little from that i remember. All i cared about was taking pills to help me sleep during the school years, because i finally wasn’t able to cry anymore i was so messed up. Once a Summer came, my mom found out what i was doing and threw the pills away immediately. With a foggy mind still, not realizing i wasn’t supposed to tell her, i asked where they were. She told me she threw them out and why, which i wasn’t happy about because once my mind was clear, the bullying came up again and the terrible nights came back. i wanted those pills so bad, annoyed at my mom, but i know she had to do what she had to do, because she loves me. Another night during a horrible prank call, without taking anything, i decided i finally had ENOUGH with this bullying, by saying only a few simple words. After those words were said, the prank calls ended in a heartbeat, because i finally had the courage to stand up for myself. What was said was one hell of a risk, but i’ve never been happier. Year 2008 my grandmother ended up in hospice care, i was depressed, i wasn’t using, but i did end up hanging around very BAD people, sadly i got peer pressured into smoking cigarettes, weed and ended up stealing money just to keep the bad people who i thought were my friends, not so much. The end of 2009, mid 2010 i forced my mind to clear again, because i wanted to graduate from high school. On my graduation day my grandmother passed away. Being screwed up from being bullied and substance abuse, i have to live with one scar on each arm that i regret anytime i look down at them. i suffer from depression and anxiety, from being physically harmed by people i have nightmares at times. From being peer pressured to hump a wall, to kill yourself by drinking bleach, being told if i was to to kill myself i would only get pissed on in my coffin. From that, i have terrible phobia with certain things like with trust, friendships and relationships. Year 2012 i lost a friend who i loved deeply. 2013 i almost died from drinking too much, 2014 i was peer pressured into smoking hill-billy heroin. After serious sit down interventions and serious talks how deadly drugs can be when abused, i’m officially clean, but from that and the abuse of pills years back, i’ll never be my 100% self. i’m a very sad case in this world, but very kind, loving and giving. From what’s been said and done to me, i will NEVER, for the rest of my life i be cruel towards anyone. i never thought i would even make it to high school. Years being severely bullied, wanting to drop out to a point i thought i was going to die, it was a miracle i graduated. Something great i never expected would happen to me. Now a days i might look alright on the out side, but the inside i will never be 100% right in the head. i have the deepest scars in my heart that pump the most saddest flaws i don’t think many people would wanna understand or even think twice about caring. But i know my parents, uncle and hopefully a few good friends love and care about me and really truly understand what i’ve been through.
Below is a list of resources for finding help. Please be a voice for someone, or be your own voice and ask for help. Never give up. Never feel alone. Seek help for yourself and others!
Teen Central – www.teencentral.net
Get help now… https://www.stopbullying.gov/get-help-now/index.html
Lehigh County Crisis Intervention office 24 hours a day, 7 days per week at 610-782-3127. In Northampton County, call 610-829-4801. If your emergency is life-threatening, you can call ‘911’ or go to the nearest emergency room.
NAMI Helpline: 800.950.6264 (M-F 10am-6pm)
Get help in a crisis 24/7 via text message: Text NAMI to 741.741
Stop Bullying – https://www.stopbullying.gov
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)-Lehigh Valley – http://www.nami-lv.org/
Suicide Prevention Resource Center – http://www.sprc.org/basics
National suicide prevention Hotline – http://www.suicidepreventionli
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention – http://wwwafsp.org
Addiction call 1-800-662-HELP or visit – https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help
Teach Anti Bullying Inc http://www.teachantibullying.com/
We want to fill this page with as many resources as we can find. If you have a resource you think should be listed on this page, please email info@thevalleyledger.com Addtionally after we collect enough information we will be adding a Stop Bullying logo to the main page of our site that will lead to a list of resources.
“Along the path of researching bullying I came across this video… I cannot fathom the amount of pain bullying caused this family. NO child or person should be pushed to the point that they take their own life to escape bullying.”
