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Quaden Bayle’s family rejects $700,000 Disneyland trip

Just a week after hundreds of thousands of dollars was raised to send Quaden Bayles and his family on a trip to Disneyland, Quaden’s Aunty Mundanara Bayles have spoken exclusively to SBS NITV saying that they are declining the trip.

This is due to the fact that they want the funds to go to the charities who need it, which include Dwarfism Awareness Australia and Balunu Healing Foundation.

"What kid wouldn't want to go to Disneyland, especially if you have lived Quaden's life. To escape to anywhere that is fun that doesn't remind him of his day to day challenges," she said.

"But my sister said 'you know what, let's get back to the real issue'. This little fella has been bullied. How many suicides, black or white, in our society have happened due to bullying."

"We want the money to go to community organisations that really need it. They know what the money should be spent on, So as much as we want to go to Disneyland, I think our community would far off benefit from that."

The charities are earmarked for a specific reason, according to Quaden’s Aunty.

"We need to come together and work out how to make sure young people like Quaden don't have to deal with what they have been dealing with," Ms Bayles said.

"We've had seven kids at the Murri School in Brisbane, where I am on the board, take their lives in the last ten years."

American comedian Brad Williams set up the GoFundMe page on February 21st, and since then, it has raised over $AUD 700,000 thanks to twenty thousand donors around the globe.

The page was set up after a video of Quaden went viral that showed the aftermath of a bullying incident that happened at school.

As Quaden was born with Achondroplasia, which is the most common form of dwarfism, he has had to deal with constant health complications as well as being bullied since the age of three.

As the video went viral in Australia and overseas, many celebrities and NRL players have reached out to Quaden to do what they can to help. Despite the heightened media attention, Quaden’s mother Yarraka says he’s doing well.

“It’s a bit overwhelming but we are doing good considering. It’s pretty full on but we are strong enough to get through especially with all the mobs support and unconditional love," she told NITV News.

“Quaden is ok. He is spinning out a bit, we just have to protect our boy as best we can. We’ve got a good team around us now.”

Tags:
quaden, quaden bayles, dwarfism, charity, gofundme