$475K Was Raised for His Disney Trip. He's Not Going

Quaden Bayles, the subject of a viral video showing the toll of relentless bullying, won't be going to Disneyland after all. Though comedian Brad Williams launched a GoFundMe page with that goal in mind—it has since raised $475,000—the family of the Australian 9-year-old with dwarfism instead hopes to donate the funds to charity. "What kid wouldn't want to go to Disneyland … to escape to anywhere that is fun that doesn't remind him of his day-to-day challenges?" Quaden’s aunt, Mundanara Bayles, tells NITV News. "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?" The GoFundMe page notes all excess funds will go to anti-bullying and anti-abuse charities.

The family is in talks with Williams—who is bound by rules stating all donated funds will be used only for the purpose stated—to see that the money goes to Dwarfism Awareness Australia and the Balunu Healing Foundation. Quaden's mother, Yarraka Bayles, is working on a disability and diversity awareness package known as "Quaden's Law" that she hopes will become a required part of Australia's national school curriculum. Quaden, who has yet to return to school, "is spinning out a bit," she tells NITV. "We just have to protect our boy as best we can." AFP reports a false conspiracy theory has been spreading claiming Quaden is actually an adult actor. (More bullying stories.)