10-year-boy reportedly dies by suicide after repeated bullying over colostomy bag
A young boy takes his life due to kids who taunted him over his colostomy bag. His parents believe the school system failed him.
It’s a sad week for the family of 10-year-old Seven Bridges who took his life due to bullying. Bridges struggled for years due to kids who taunted him over his colostomy bag. One morning, his mother found him dead after he hanged himself in their home.
Tami Charles, Bridges’ mother, opened up about her loss to WHAS.
“I saw my son dead. That’s something in my head.”
Charles revealed her son was relentlessly tormented by kids who would bully him in the school bus because of his bowel condition. She began documenting his pain months ago and tried to help him as she noticed the deep sorrow he bore.
"Even in talking about it and letting him express himself, there was still a sorrow that he couldn't let us in."
She added,
"We signed him up for the Boy's Academy. We would talk to him often how he would have new friends and a new start. You just had to get to the end of the year.”
Bridges underwent 26 surgeries after he was born with a medical defect. He was required to wear a colostomy bag which apparently would smell. This became the reason why kids would pick on the fifth grader. The bullying became so bad that he wanted to transfer to a different school.
Renee Murphy, the communications director of Jefferson County Public Schools expressed her devastation over Bridges’ suicide.
“Our hearts are breaking for this family. The school community is hurting right now.”
Murphy vowed to investigate the matter of bullying in school as Charles insists the school “failed my baby.”
She recalled alerting the school of her son’s case including incidences when Bridges was called the n-word and choked on a bus ride but no action was taken by the school.
Charles’ message now to the children who hurt her child is to “forgive yourself.”
“Seven did. He forgave you already.He found his peace; it’s time for you to find yours.”
A GoFundMe page has been created to help with the funeral expenses of the family.
ANOTHER YOUNG CHILD KILLS HERSELF DUE TO BULLYING
This is the second incident of hanging of a young child in two months. In December, fourth-grader McKenzie Adams took her life because she was being bullied for having a white friend. The nine-year-old from Alabama befriended a white boy which prompted bullies to write her nasty notes about it. She would receive messages telling her to “kill yourself” or “just die.” Just like Bridges, the family of Adams believes the school system failed their child.