Only a month before her death, Autumn Brooke Bushman was a fearless, energetic and loving 10 year old girl as known to her family and friends. She radiated in every room she was in with her smile, her enthusiasm of dance and cheer, and her big heart.
However, on March, 21 an unthinkable tragedy struck the Bushman family of Roanoke, Virginia. Autumn died at home — a sad demise her family feels occurred because of several months of unattended bullying at her school.
Autumn was a fourth-graded student at Mountain View Elementary. At the beginning of the school year, she exhibited the character of a much braver person as she defended those who were being bullied in the classroom.
Her mother, Summer Bushman, told local news station WDBJ that she was the kind of person who would never allow somebody to be picked on without commenting. However, instead of praising Autumn and her courage, people made her a target.
According to her parents, the bullying only increased with time. They knew about some of them, but they think that the real picture became apparent only after it was too late.
The weeks before her death Autumn started changing. Her previously colorful closet became gloomy. she smiled no more. She played less; she spent more time by herself. The signs were not very loud but they are now lying heavily on the hearts of her parents.
Her father, Mark Bushman, said: “There was nothing that I saw that led me to believe that something was indeed wrong. However, looking back it did appear to make her lose her sparkle.
There is one moment which particularly sticks in the mind of her mother. “She approached me a few weeks ago crying”, Summer explained. She said to me, Mom, I am so stressed out. I am being shyed. May I pretty please stay home tomorrow out of school?
Bushmans claim to have complained to school authorities who promised that the matter was under control. Now they are asking themselves whether they did enough.
Mark: “We leave our children in the hands of schools on a daily basis.” But are they so certainly keeping tight enough tabs? Do they intervene when something is not right?
The approach of autumn was like a shock to Roanoke and further. Her case has led to emotional debates on the issue of bullying, children mental health and the necessity of awareness and immediate intervention in schools and households.
The local school district, in its turn, declared that it is thoroughly reviewing the circumstances of the death of Autumn. They pointed out in a public announcement that they would treat all reports of student confrontation seriously.
However, to the people that Autumn loved, the anguish does not disappear. Summer made the comment, “It is too little, too late.”
Later in March, at the funeral of Autumn, which was open to the community, her family members told stories and cried and expressed their desire that things would change. Her father went to social media with a post that read: UNITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY:
Mark wrote, “Ending bullying is not a task accomplished by people working individually.” It requires a village. Let us make these children live a life worth living by supporting, acting, and loving them.”
There have been offers of support on Facebook, texts, calls, and even complete strangers have contacted me with their support and many had memories of Autumn or had a story about their own children and their struggles. There was a moving video tribute that was passed around the Internet, in which Autumn could be seen laughing and dancing and growing up in a bed of love.
The painful story of Autumn has a strong message. It is the hope of her parents that no other child will ever feel alone and no other family will go through such heartbreak.
Autumn was not just a bully victim. She was a daughter, a sister, a friend – a person who loved baby blue, archery and helping people. She was cheerful in soul and her heart was huge.
Her family hopes she will be remembered not only in connection with the manner in which her life ended but because of the love, courage and compassion she demonstrated in her daily life.
Even during childhood, mental health professionals encourage families to openly discuss the matter with the kids. Teach children to report bullying. Note the change of behavior. Most importantly: listen.
Since sometimes, these are the quietest battles that require our support the most.
The story of Autumn Bushman has moved thousands of people. The wish of her family is small, yet effective; they want her life to make a difference, to make people act, to make people care, to make this world a place where no children feel unprotected and unheard.
So let us do something in her memory, stand up, speak out, and help each other like Autumn would have done.
