Matt Roloff is sending his support to 9-year-old Australian boy Quaden Bayles after a viral video showed the devastating effects of bullying. On Thursday night, as video of Bayles, who was born with achondroplasia dwarfism, went viral, the Little People, Big World star took to Instagram to offer him a VIP tour of Roloff Farms.
“Thanks for bringing this to my attention Marty…[Martin Klebba] And thanks Brad [Brad Williams] for stepping in to help our young community,” Roloff wrote, captioning a screenshot from Klebba’s own post that featured an image of Bayles with the words, “We Stand With Quaden.”
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“Let Quaden (and his mom) know they are welcome to swing by Roloff farms for a full VIP tour and some encouragement on how wonderful being a little person Can be,” Roloff, who also suffers from dwarfism, continued, adding the hashtag “hang in there buddy, it gets better.”
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Roloff’s post sparked fans of the TLC series to send their own messages of support to Bayles, who expressed suicidal thoughts in the six-minute-long video shared by his mother Yarraka Bayles. Others also praised the Little People, Big World star for reaching out to the 9-year-old.
“I couldn’t think of a better family to support this young guy,” wrote one fan.
“My heart goes out to this young boy,” commented somebody else. “He doesn’t yet realise how special he is and how much the world has to offer him. The bullies are the ones who have issues not Quaden.”
“That’s soooo cool! Would love to see this happen!” added a third. “We need to celebrate our differences and be kind to everyone.”
“We achieve by lifting each other up and this guy needs to know he is loved as he is,” wrote another, prompting a response from Roloff.
“Yes I agree,” the TLC star replied. “Lifting each other up is far better then tearing others down. Kudos to you.”
Ever since Bayles’ mother shared the video of her son crying in the backseat of the car after experiencing bullying at school, Yarraka is issuing a desperate plea to her fellow parents to “please educate your children, your families, your friends,” people around the world have been sending their love and support.
Along with hundreds of messages on social media, comedian Brad Williams created a GoFundMe page in the hopes of sending the 9-year-old and his mother to Disneyland. The page has surpassed $275,000, and Fiji Airways has donated tickets to fly the pair to the amusement park.
