A bullied boy has broken his silence as a staggering $37,000 has been raised for him following a viral video where he asked for help.
Shayden Walker, 11, from Texas, has become known worldwide in the past week after he featured in a heart-wrenching video.
In footage posted to TikTok, Shayden could be seen heading for his neighbors' Brennan and Angel Ray's door before getting nervous and turning away, but half an hour later, he returned.
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The kid asked his neighbors whether they knew any kids aged 11 or 12, explaining honestly that 'I need some friends really bad'.
Brennan pointed out a nearby house where there were a couple of kids Shayden's age, but the boy explained that 'they're not my friends any more 'cause they're bullies to me'.
The young lad then asked Brennan if he had any kids and it turned out the answer was yes, but Brennan's daughter is just two.
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Nonetheless, Shayden's face lit up as he said 'I love two-year-olds' and added that they were 'just like the most cutest things I have ever known', before telling Brennan that he 'used to have a two-year-old sister'.
While Shayden didn't find any kids his own age, Brennan did promise he would speak to the lad if he saw him.
After the conversation, the pair bid farewell but Brennan wanted to do something special for Shayden.
He ended up setting up a GoFundMe, which is currently closed for donations after amassing over $37,000 to get Shayden and his family some nice things.
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The fundraiser was hoping to buy the boy a 'gaming system, school clothes and hopefully some amusement park tickets', but with that sort of money, the sky really is the limit.
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Now, Shayden and his mother, Krishna Patterson, have sat with Fox19 to discuss the viral video and the whirlwind that followed.
The young lad said he is planning to donate some of the money to charity, while the rest will go on things for the new school years and other things he generally enjoys.
But it isn't about the money according to Krishna, but instead drawing the attention to the issue of bullying.
Shayden has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, while also being on the autism spectrum.
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All of these factors have contributed to Shayden being singled out at school, according to Krishna.
"What my life was like before was kids were manipulating me and telling me they would be my friend, but when they would ask me to do something horrible, I don’t feel like they’re actually my friend," Shayden told Fox19.
Before the viral video, Krishna said the 11-year-old didn't have the confidence to be himself.
"He stims very hard, he flaps his arms, and he makes noises that a lot of people have made fun of him, so he told me, ‘I just deal with the pain of holding it in, so that I don’t get made fun of because of it,’ and that hurt, that broke my heart," she said.
But now, Shayden says his confidence has 'gone through the roof', with his mother hoping that his story will inspire other kids.
Topics: US News, TikTok, Viral