A 10-year-old has received the attention of celebrities and sports starts after sharing a heart-breaking video about being bullied.
Cassidy Slater from Scranton, Pennsylvania, posted a video on her Facebook describing the bullying she endured on sheets of paper.
Holding the signs, Cassidy explains that she started being bullied in the first grade. She explains that the bullies "hit me, kicked me, pulled my hair, pushed me, stepped on me, spit on me".
They also "spilt milk all over my jacket." Cassidy can't defend herself as there is "4 of them and only 1 of me."
To make matters worse, the school doesn't step in to prevent it.
The video has since gone viral, with an overwhelming response. It was originally posted on her own Facebook page but was then deleted as Cassidy is below the legal age of 13.
Her mother, Jen Slater, then reposted the video to raise awareness. Her father, James Warner, told Inside Edition that they were blown away by the response the video has gotten.
"It’s overwhelming," he said. "Words can’t even begin to describe the gratitude towards everyone that’s reached out to her."
The video even caught the attention of the baseball team, The New York Yankees. Members of the team hold up a message to Cassidy, saying that they "look up" to her and invite her to have lunch with them anytime she wants.
Hey Cassidy - we saw the video you made and from all of us here at the New York Yankees, we want you to know that you are not alone. We have your back! https://t.co/uuRb0ghzf1 pic.twitter.com/V2EeuJ1YmW
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) 18 April 2018
Cassidy, a massive fan of the team, was thrilled by the response.
"We showed her the video last night after school and she was just thrilled," Warner said. "It was amazing to see the look on her face when she saw the video."
The brave girl has also been invited to an upcoming baseball game, where she will be honoured.
"I think that meant a lot to her because they went with her idea," Warner recalled. "What really got her excited is when they invited her out."
The video has been shared over 260,000 times, and has even been retweeted by the likes of Hugh Jackman.
Ten-year-old Cassidy Slater has been bullied since first grade. It never hurts to be kind. #kindness #stopbullyingnow #upstanders #empathy pic.twitter.com/Pb6uiAQdDi
— Children Mending 's (@ChildrenMending) 12 April 2018
“It’s reached people that I, never in a million years, thought that it was ever going to reach from the everyday person over in Australia to famous movie stars to famous athletes,” Warner said.
And it made a difference. More children are making an effort to be kinder to Cassidy in school and safety plans have been put in place to keep Cassidy away from the bullies.
It was also revealed that the lunch lady who supervised Cassidy's class during lunch time partook in sharing insulting comments about her on social media. The employee has now been removed from the school.
Warner has a mixed reaction to the success of the video.
"When I think about it and talk about it, I get choked up," he said. "I feel so bad for my daughter, but then again the amount of outreach and support from everybody, I’m so thrilled and happy for her."
He hopes that the video will make other parents aware of bullying and encourage conversations with their children.
"I’m hoping that every parent will sit with their child and talk to their child about being bullied or bullying someone else," he said. "As Cassidy’s dad it devastated me, No parent wants to see their child going through it and as Cassidy’s dad, I wouldn't want to be the parent making someone else’s child feel like that."
For her dad, as for many others, Cassidy is a hero.
"I'm many, many years older than my daughter and she’s definitely my hero."
