A teenager posted a heartbreaking video on YouTube chronicling years of bullying in school and online, cutting and humiliation up until she died this week.
Amanda was the victim of unrelenting blackmail. And the cyberspace stalker was aided by people in Amanda’s real-world life — kids who would share the photos on their cellphones, kids who would gang up to hurl first verbal abuse and then fists at her.
"Everything she said in the video happened over the past two years," said Carol (Amanda's Mother). "It was horrendous. I think about it now and I think, Oh my God. How did she survive this long with the pain?"
The end, when it came, was a shock. Despite Amanda's earlier suicide attempts, Carol said in recent days and weeks she was getting much better. She spent time in hospital in September, getting treatment and counselling. Her life was starting to return to normal, which it hadn't been since grade 8. "She felt like a normal teenager, she was so proud of herself," said Carol. "She went out with friends, she went to the mall, she said to me, Mom, this is the first time that I feel normal again. I have had the best day ever."
Carol doesn't know what caused her daughter’s setback, but Amanda may have given Carol an answer in a private video. "She left me a video message on her phone. I'm not ready to look at it yet," said Carol. "The coroner has told me it will provide closure for me but I can’t look at it yet."
Carol doesn't know what happened, but sometime earlier this week — before Amanda killed herself late Wednesday afternoon — something happened to shatter that fragile recovery.
Source: Vancouver Sun
