Mom Gets Closer Look At Son During His Birthday Dinner, Finds Out His 'Friends' Have Been Making Him Sick

Sep 09, 2019 by apost team

In 2017, Liam O’Brien of Garden City, New York, appeared to be a normal 7th grader. The boy loved playing on his phone, hanging out with friends and doing his thing on the soccer field.

Suddenly, his mom Deidre Fell-O’Brien noticed that he was not eating and that he was not showing any interest in being on his phone, his main mode of communication. He also became a recluse and did want to ride his bike or hang out with his friends, as his mom explained in a piece for The Well. What was most alarming was that Liam stopped eating as much.

Fell-O’Brien finally got Liam to admit that he was being bullied after she confronted him about not wanting to go to his school, Garden City Middle. Through the tears, Liam was able to talk to his mother about how the kids told him that he sucked at soccer, called him names and physically pushed and kicked him.

Fell-O'Brien wrote in detail about her son's experience in a column for The Well:

"A group of boys had decided that my son ‘sucked’ and didn’t believe he should have made the soccer team. There were pushes and kicks. They used horrible language and called him nasty words. They told him he was nothing … They were merciless in their cruelty. I asked how often they did this to him. He looked me in the eyes and said, ‘Every day, Mom.’”

One of the symptoms of Liam's depression was his lack of appetite. Fell-O’Brien wrote that he barely touched his food at his 13th birthday dinner. It got so bad that the boy had to be hospitalized so that he could get the nutrients through a feeding tube.

"I also noticed that he used to have a tremendous appetite, he would eat two breakfasts in the morning," said Liam’s father Keith O’Brien in an interview with ABC News. "Then all of a sudden he stopped eating."

"We got incredibly concerned, so we took him to his pediatrician, and she measured his heart rate," he added. Not long after, Liam was admitted to the hospital for eight days. 

Despite Liam’s condition, the parents of the bullies refused to acknowledge that there was an issue, as Fell-O’Brien explains in her personal essay. Even the school would not hold anyone accountable for the severe bullying.

Fell-O’Brien was feeling helpless, but she decided that she could bring awareness to the issue by posting about the bullying on social media.

"Maybe it will protect another child in the future, just by raising the awareness," Liam's father told ABC News of why they decided to go public with Liam’s story.

"If we can’t protect our children, then we’ve failed as a society, as parents, its just awful," he continued.

Liam’s parents were shocked when she noticed the outpouring of support for her sweet boy. According to ABC News, their post accumulated more than 3,000 reactions and 2,000 shares.

"It’s been nothing short of really almost miraculous," Liam’s dad told ABC. "When something like this happens, you always think the worst, but I’ve realized how many good people there really are still out there."

Shortly after the O’Brien family’s post went viral, the #WeStandWithLiam went viral on the internet, inspiring others to share their bullying stories on social media. Liam’s story even made it all the way to a digital billboard in Time’s Square.

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In a 2017 statement to ABC News, Garden City Public Schools said that the district "was deeply saddened to learn of a recent issue of bullying shared on social media. No child should ever be reluctant to come to school for fear of personal or emotional safety. Our first priority is to ensure the safety of every one of our students."

"We are jointly attempting to further improve upon the resources and programs available to move toward the elimination of all forms of bullying in our schools as quickly as possible," the district continued.

Keith O’Brien told ABC News that he contacted the school, asking if they could look out for Liam. And while Keith O’Brien says that officials reassured him “everything will be fine,” the bullying did not stop.

In their 2017 interview with ABC News, the O’Brien family said that they were still considering legal action against the school.

Although there have not been any major updates in the media since 2017, Garden City Middle School has dedicated a section of its website to an overview of its anti-bullying program.

After 10 weeks at an inpatient facility, Liam was finally able to return home, as his mother explains in her personal essay. Liam also returned to his old school, finishing out the soccer season that year.

While Liam’s story is heartbreaking, Fell-O’Brien writes that she hopes it will raise awareness of bullying. 

“I pray that we all continue to have honest conversations about bullying and continue to tackle this life-altering issue together. In the meantime, we are ecstatic to have Liam back with our family where he belongs.”

What do you think about Liam’s story? Have you ever been bullied? Let us know — and be sure to pass this story on to raise awareness about bullying.

If you or anybody you know is struggling with depression or suicidal thoughts, please call Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or visit befrienders.org to find your local suicide prevention hotline. The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals.