At the age of 18 mos I was diagnosed with a condition called Retnoblastoma (cancer in the eye) and had to have my left eye completely removed. I have always lived with this and have a prosthetic eye made by the most talented Ocularist.

I went to 2 different Catholic High Schools in Ottawa. The 1st was from Gr 7-9 and I hated everything about this school. The friends I have made throughout my life have accepted me for who I am. Unfortunately those at the 1st high school I went to decided it was comical to bully me for this condition. I was called names like Cyclopse, 1 eyed freak, etc.. I am fortunate to have a strong personality and stand up for myself and was able to over come this and especially with the support of my parents (and family).

When I was able to switch High Schools from Gr 10 to my graduating year in Gr 12, I had never been happier. It was the change in atmosphere to allow me to start over and for some reason, the environment there didn't even see a reason to bully anyone. It was like I traveled to a totally different place where Bullying was not tolerated. I have always been a very social and bubbly person so for me it was hard to know that someone did not like me for who I am.

 I am now married with 2 beautiful children and to a man who accepts me for me. I have always been so greatful for the people I have in my life and the friends I have made along the way.

I can't stress this enough that every parent needs to understand the importance of talking to their kids and paying attention to their behavior. Every kid is different and I was strong enough to talk to my parents about what was going on in school and with that I was able to over come it and deal with it properly.

It is VERY hard to believe that bullying is where it is at these days and that makes me terrified to know that my daughter will be starting school soon. But this also makes me confident as a parents knowing I have gone through bullying and know that communication with your kids is the most important thing.

I am in my second semester at a community college. I'm 25 years old and not a day goes by when I don't think about all of the torment I've had to endure even getting to where I am. Every day when I was over the age of 12 I was bullied. Mainly because I was/am overweight. The misconception about people who are overweight is that we eat all the time and eat fast food. I do not hardly ever eat and I never eat fast food. In junior high the girls would call me fat a**, shamu, marshmallow, and chubby. I dreaded going to school every day. Because of those bullies and the awfule things they said I skipped school a alot. To this day I can barely do elementary math. I have this feeling that everyone talks about me all the time. I am do not like to talk to people that I do not know. I have even tried to commit suicide twice. Being overweight is no laughing matter.

Instead of making fun of people who are overweight, why don't you try to be friendly to them. Ask if they would like a friend, make them laugh. We can all change the outcome of bullying.

Hi my names Brittany Hurt. I have a little brother Caden who is 13 years old. At a young age we could tell my brother was different he played with hangers for fun and wasn't very social with other kids most of the time. He was diagnosed with autism and has asbergers. When he was younger it wasn't a problem it didn't bother my family or me that he had his little things like the hanger playing, we are used to it. But now that he's older he gets bullied a lot. People call him a faggot and say he's weird and stupid. It really hurts his feelings and he's been having trouble making friends. He recently had to start going to a therapist because he was saying he wanted to end his life and says he doesn't feel like he belongs here. He such a sweet person, wouldn't even hurt a fly. I love him so much and it breaks my heart that he's going through this. I'm going to stay strong for him, be here for him and help him boost his self esteem so even when people say horrible things he will know that its not true and that he's an amazing person. I love you bubba<3

I have been out of High School for a few years now but I still remember everything like it was yesterday. I am a gay female and ever since elementary school I knew I was different. I didn't dress in girly clothes and I didn't do girly things. I was always treated by my classmates like something was wrong with me, like I had some virus that everyone could catch. By the time I was in middle school things got worse. I would have things thrown at me, I would be pushed in the hallway, and know one would ever do anything about it. Bullying should not be looked at as a regular part of a child growing up. The whole "kids will be kids" saying is getting really old. If it was not for my loving family I might not have made it. During my junior year of high school the isolation and anger got so bad that I stopped going to school. I ended up finding a different kind of high school for kids in my position and if it was not for that school I would have never graduated from high school. The whole experience has left me with terrible social anxiety and panic attacks, but as much as I wanted to give up I never did and that is the one thing I want a bullied child to take away from my story. DON'T EVER GIVE UP!

I was bullied from the first grade to my last day of middle school. It started as name calling behind my back and disclusion of anything I wanted to do. It began a tiny bitmore serious when I got to the third grade, because I wanted to play basketball and when I asked the other girls when the first day of practice started they all lied to me on purpose. Thinking it was a week later than it actually started I went to practice and was greeted by the coach who expressed to me that it was too late. I was devastated and of course I told my mom. The coach was very understanding and let me into the team... this made things miserable. Those girls would hate me for the rest of my time in grade school.

In sixth grade, I had the attitude that everything would change, but at the same time I was afraid of them starting up again. Of course they did. I tried to get into basketball again and the exact same thing happened. I blamed myself for not checking with an actual adult, but still. I eventually did get to play basketball with a different school team and we ended up beating them... again this didn't make them like me instead of treat me like I'm not human. When I played volleyball with them later on in the year, they gave me hell in practice, at the games, and at school.

Seventh grade started and I was absolutely discouraged; I didn't even try out for basketball. Having played volleyball before and been away from them in sports, I tried out and made the a team. They all started hating on me again of course. Even though they never stopped talking about me behind my back during school, it hit me hard. I was always discouraged and emotional and my grades started to drop. My parents noticed and bought up to the attention of the school principal, but it only made things worse. The coach had favoritism and he didn't do anything about it. Softball was the same.

By eighth grade, my self esteem was so low you could say it was gone, I had turned against myself, lost any last confidence, and forgot I had friends. For whatever reason, I still went out for volleyball and after dealing with them for two games, I was thrown on the b team with the coach saying, "You don't know how to get along with the other girls," and, "You aren't a team player." I tried to pretend it didn't bother me buyt it did.

Having never let off during school, I decided to join track... maybe they won't. I was wrong because they did. It felt like they were after me. I only threw shot put and discus, but guess what? so were they. They would say stuff when I practiced my throwing skills, "She's fat and gross... she acts like a guy... she's only doing this because she's a slut." Softball again was the same.

Today, I go to a different high school than they do and the atmosphere is great, but I still hadn't escaped the things they had put into my head. I started cutting because I just felt lost and unappreciated. It was like nobody understood and I felt like I deserved the pain of cutting, because there had to be a reason they hated me right. Luckily, my friends and family reminded that I was better than what I was doing and that I was never alone. I stopped after a painful four months and I'm glad.

I believe that everything happens for a reason... and I survived bullying so that I can help others get through it also. I want bullying to be treated as a crime because it is and it needs to be stopped. Together we are stronger and it all starts with one.

I was bullied in elementary and middle school. I remember I had this horrible haircut in kindergarten. There was this girl, should would always question my gender. I guess that's where my bullying journey began. The only time it got physical was in third grade, but thankfully I told my parents and they got the school involved and everybody. They stopped the problem luckily. Bullying for me died down until sixth grade. This boy came up to me and said everyone in our class has a nickname for you. Obviously I asked what it was. And he answered so proudly pimple face. I went home and cried till there was no tears left in my eyes. I am incredibly sensitive about my acne. I am incredibly insecure about my appearance. The girl that made fun of me in kindergarten made a remark to me in eighth grade. She said "hey you should put on makeup to graduation because if you don't you'll look horrible." Now I know not that bad, but it still kind of hurt. That was the time I finally stood up for myself. I finally found my voice. Now in high school, if I ever get called something I stand up. I will never lose my voice.

I really dont know if its basically bullying I just know that those guys made my self esteem go really low. All started in 5th grade, when I was transfer to another school, the firsts weeks were really normal everything was going alright until one day when I accidentally push a boy and he fell down, a group of boy start calling me fat, they put me nicknames of animals and i thought it only will be for that day that they will be bothering me and that the next day they will forget what happened and just stop telling me that nicknames, but i was wrong they begun to told me even worst names. Everyday in the morning when i walk in to the classroom they will just say: "aghh" and thinks like that. So i just started hating school i didnt go sometimes for a complete week, i just didnt go to school, but there always was a time when i needed to go back. Sometimes when i was sick i just  try get more sick to not go to school. When the year was almost ending i decide to talk to my  mom and she go to talk to the teacher and the teacher make that group of guys to apoligize, and they stop, but even if they didnt bother me i didnt want to go school. So when fifth grade end they put me again in the school i was before and now everything is ok, only one time that a guy that bullied me insulted me in facebook but i blocked him. So my advice is that if your suffering of bullying do not stay silent, talk to somebody, you need try, because if you do not try to tell somebody you will never what could had happen. LOOK FOR HELP, BULLYING MUST STOP!!!

Dear Members of the Bully Project,

Hi!  Thank you for the wonderful work that you are doing!  I am so inspired by the children in the documentary Bully! (all of the children, Alex, Caine, Kelby...and the parents.)  I am now 48 years old and feel great because I have found ways to feel that I am contributing to peace in the world.  I am vegan, an animal activist, a sculptor and a student of Buddhism.  I meditate which brings me peace.  I feel passionate and connected to people and social causes!

I wanted to say to children who are bullied and feel depressed, please, go and have your depression treated by a psychiatrist and, please, start therapy with a counselor where you can talk about what you are feeling and what is happening in your life.  Utilize all of the supports that you can.  I used to never want to take medicine for my depression/mental illness.  But I do not feel that way now.  The medicine can lift you up from looping suicidal or negative thought patterns and give you some relief.  But you do need a great doctor who can prescribe the right kind of medicine, especially, for children.  Go out and find such a doctor, it is worth it to give you some relief and then the doctor can help you go off of the medicine when you are ready.

Thank you again for everyone involved in this documentary and project!  You are changing the world to make it more peaceful and loving!

Love,

LeeLee 

I was always the oddball out. I was bullied my entire life until I made the decision  to stop the chaos. When I was a kid I didn't have friends. I was the tomboy who was really shy. Everyone has set opinions; but why should my appearance reflect who I am? They didn't know my personality. They didn't give me a chance. They saw that I was different and attacked my so called weakness of not "fitting in". I was thrown in trash cans, called squirrel face... every degrading thing you can think of happened to me. 

My family wasn't the most functional as a kid, there was abuse and neglect. I raised myself from the ground up. maybe I was a bit weird because I didn't know how to handle certain situations. I didn't get new shoes every year or a new wardrobe. My teachers would ask me if I was getting enough food. My clothes were usually covered in dirt. I never spoke up about the bullying until later on in life. 

Elementary and middle school were the worst for me. I was growing into my body and I was the shortest person for years. I didn't have any self esteem, no self confidence.

Middle school was new grounds for everyone. Its when you experience new things, get in more trouble, make mistakes. Well I got in a lot of trouble. I tried new things. I was finding ways to escape myself and that eventually led to drugs. No reason to glorify it because my life took a dismal turn. It escalated quickly and the more I got bullied the more I used. My sisters made fun of me and locked me out of the house, tied me up while I was sleeping, beat me up, told me I was a hideous winch. I was being bullied everywhere and finally one day I took a stand. Maybe the wrong way to go about it...but I ended up fighting the meanest girl in school. She had been bullying me since Kindergarten... I cracked her skull and got kicked out. I had so much anger built up that I couldn't control it. I eventually got to come back but no one looked at me the same. Everyone was terrified of me now. Great right? Not really. People talk and people exaggerate. Double ended sword. I regretted what I did but I apologized repeatedly. I didn't want to become that person. I knew I was better than that but it happened so quick that I don't even remember what I did. 

I kept doing drugs and it got really bad really fast. Hitting high school I was doing all sorts, no need for names. I started boxing to unleash some anger...you know, in a controlled environment. I started skipping class because people are still terrified of me. They called me off the wall names. I didn't belong, no one would sit next to me. Well one day I had enough again. But this time I had a meltdown from hell. I cried and screamed for hours. I tried to kill myself. Didn't work. My mom checked me into a hospital and for the next 4 months I sat in a psych ward with no shoelaces and crossword puzzles. I was diagnosed schizoaffective. Took 30 pills a day and was a zombie. That started the cycle of being hospitalized for 4 years straight. Drug abuse played a major role in these ventures. But I finally sat down and talked about what I went through and got help and asked for help. It was the first real step I took to get through the rough patch of life. 

I've been free from the loony bin for over a year now. Its a huge transition I am still adjusting to but I have a job, a car, and some of my life back. It takes time to heal but its worth it. I'm 20 years old and I can say that things get better with time. I still struggle but not like I used to. I'm completely off all medicine and I'm weird again but its who I am and I've found people that accept my flaws. 

When I finally came out to people that I was gay, all hell broke loose in school. I was in the 7th grade. My name is Gigi and I'm a 16 year old Lesbian. It started when I told my best friend. She ended up running and telling everyone else. Soon, it spread like perfume across the whole middle school. "Gigi is an Emo Lesbian", "Gigi needs Jesus, she will burn in hell." In the locker rooms, " Hey stand in front of my stall, I don't want that fag to look in while I'm changing." They would stick notes in my lockers and naked pictures of girls with writing on it asking if I liked that. I would have people "Preaching" to me about going to church and following the bible. It was horrible. I took it for 6 months which is 1 semester. Until 1 day I got jumped by a group of girls because they claimed I was checking out one of their friends. That's when I told my science teacher who was also a lesbian and it all just stopped stopped. The bullies ad charges filed against them and they got expelled. I thought that day would never come. A lot of things changed, I stopped cutting myself, I started eating again and I made a lot more friends when 8th grade started. I'm happier than ever with my life. Once you've had enough, You've had ENOUGH. Speak up and fight. Don't be a victim, be and Upstander !