Bullied Brain Cancer Survivor, 11, Commits Suicide
A truly horrifying story has reminded us about the tragic implications bullying can have.
An 11-year-old girl from Cable, Ohio who survived brain cancer killed herself last month.
Bethany Thompson had been free of cancer since 2008, but she suffered nerve damage from treatment that resulted in a crooked smile, which led kids to pick on her, says her mother, Wendy Feucht.
After enduring more bullying, Bethany reportedly told her best friend she had had enough and planned to kill herself. She died October 19.
Her friend's father alerted Feucht, but it was too late. She shot herself with a gun her mother and stepfather kept in their house. The stepfather was asleep at the time. Feucht says her daughter had to hunt down the gun, since her kids were not informed where the weapon was in the house.
"There's a piece missing, I've had this constant in my life for 12 years and now it's gone," Feucht said. "Nothing's going to be able to fill that hole."
She also remains resolute in the fact bullying led to her daughter's death. “I think that she was just done. She didn’t feel like anybody could do anything to help her. People need to know that even the littlest things can break someone.”
Her father, Paul Thompson, echoed that sentiment, saying, "I think that’s why she took (her life)." He also said, "Nobody should have to bury their kid."
The school superintendent, meanwhile, said bullying was an issue for Bethany last year, but added, "There was no evidence of a pattern of bullying this year."
Bethany's father now wants to educate kids on the dangers of bullying. "If I can take one day off a week and go talk to 100 kids and save one of them it's going to be worth it and that's what I'm looking to do," he said.