“Thank you for all the support,” Quaden Bayles said, expressing his heartfelt gratitude to the Indian actor who cheered him up with his inspiring words.
The nine-year-old victim of bullying, and his mother, Yarraka Bayles, came across advice by Indian actor Ajay Kumar - also known as Guinness Pakru - who said he was moved by the story and offered his advice to the boy.
Quaden and his mother Yarraka expressed their gratitude to the actor.
"I showed him the article and photo and a lot of friends also tagged us, it was very heartwarming, very beautiful," Yarraka told SBS Malayalam.
“It definitely was a huge boost (to Quaden), and it was important that he sees other people, you know, that are happy and are doing well in life and are succeeding. So seeing his (Ajay Kumar) story and knowing that he could relate to my son and that's why he reached out because he said he cried when he saw my son cry because he could understand what he was going through.
Source: Facebook
That was a really powerful message to know that we are not alone - there are so many people out there that can relate.
In an attempt to empower Quaden, Ajay who says he, himself, went through similar circumstances during his childhood, days shared his story.
“I wanted to boost Quaden setting myself as an example in front of him." Ajay said after he'd heard about the bullying incident.
"When Quaden’s video went viral, I received umpteen number of messages from people around the world requesting me to react. As I have passed through a similar stage, I can very well understand the feelings of the little boy and his mum who is also heart-broken," Ajay said.
In his advice to Quaden, Ajay said he also "cried like Quaden cried". He spoke of how his dwarfism paved the way to 'grab the victories' and be successful.
It was a very heart-warming message… It was very encouraging and empowering for him to see if they can do, he can do.
Yarraka also thanked the Indian actor for sharing his story that was very motivating for the little boy.
“Thank you for all the support,” Quaden Bayles told SBS Malayalam.
Ambitions to be an actor: Quaden
Quaden has ambitions to be an actor, according to his mum. The success story of Ajay - who, as Guinness Pakru, entered the pages of Guinness Book of World Records for being the shortest actor to play a lead role in a full-length movie, has also been an inspiration.
“He was very, very happy to see the actor because he inspired Quaden. Quaden really wants to be an actor and to see other people of different ethnic backgrounds with dwarfism that are able to relate and understand from where he is coming from.
"It is very encouraging and empowering for a young Aboriginal boy with dwarfism to see that other people are succeeding in life. So that was a huge boost for Quaden’s confidence and self-esteem,” Yarraka added.
She also expressed her wish to meet Ajay Kumar through video conferencing, as Quaden can also see and talk to him.
We are waiting to visit India. We have lots of family and friends in Mumbai and lots of offers to come over.
"God willing, I know our paths will cross and we will definitely organise a visit when we visit your beautiful country," Yarraka told SBS Malayalam.
Viral video
The despairing words from Quaden Bayles a nine-year-old boy, expressing his thoughts of self-harming, broke the hearts of millions recently.
The video of Quaden, an Indigenous boy with a common form of dwarfism called Achondroplasia, who was bullied by his school mates went viral. His desperate mum shared the video which was viewed more than 25 million times.
