‘This Is What Bullying Does’: Distraught UK Mom Posts Image of 6-Year-Old in Hospital Bed

Facebook | Carrie Golledge

This is what bullying did to 6-year-old Sophia, from Tiverton, Devon, in the United Kingdom.

In a ward, Sophia curled up under a blue blanket, taking a much-needed rest. A vomit bucket is placed by her side.

The little girl was admitted to hospital because she had stopped eating and vomited 20 times in an hour. She cried herself to sleep due to the relentless bullying she was subject to at school.

Seeing Sophia tormented by the soul-crushing bullies, her mom, Carrie Golledge, was heartbroken.

To spread awareness about the destructive impact of bullying, she took to Facebook to post a gut-wrenching message, along with a harrowing photo of her daughter in a hospital bed.

In her upsetting post, Golledge wrote, “This is my 6 year old daughter, hospitalized, due to bullying.”

“This is my child who has stopped eating, has cried herself to sleep, had anxiety so severe she’s up sick over 20 times in an hour through the night. This is my child whose ‘best friend’ has emotionally abused her for so long she thought it was normal.”

“This is my child who has been in and out of hospital for countless trips due to being so sick with anxiety. This is my child who was told off for ’telling tales at school.' This is my child who has been mocked on social media by the bullies parents for just having such a pure heart,” she continued.

“This is my child who when addressing the issues with her school we were told ‘Its [sic] just 6 year olds being 6 year olds’. This is my child who was told by the school she should be the one feeling ashamed and be snuck in a side door of a morning. This is my child who her school failed her so badly that we had to move her schools.”

Golledge’s post went viral, garnering over 261,000 reactions, with people from all over the globe flooding her inbox with messages of support.

In another Facebook post, Golledge thanked these strangers for their incredibly kind messages.

“Wow...just...wow. I cannot believe the hundreds of messages that are filling my inbox in support of Sophia and even more I cannot believe how many others are going through all of this at such a young age,” Golledge wrote.

“This is becoming so much bigger than i imagined and is not just for Sophia but every one who has gone through this and every one who is too scared to tell their story.”

The great news is Sophia has fared better ever since she moved to a new school.

“But the minute she was removed from the school, her health picked up, she’s put weight back on and she’s had a growth spurt,” Golledge told Mirror.

However, more needs to be done to address bullying among children around the world. And so, Golledge has initiated a Facebook page titled “Stand with Sophia.”

Hopefully, steps will be taken by schools worldwide to prevent and stop bullying.