TAMPA, Fla. — Bullying is not new, but due to social media, hate spreads quickly, leading to mental health issues for kids.
According to the American Society of Positive Care, almost one-third of U.S. students in 6th through 12th grade experienced bullying.
“I was bullied as a child excessively, and it resulted in me changing schools after the sixth grade. I changed schools to avoid it and continued to be bullied throughout middle school in high school, no matter where I went,” explained Dr. Laura Purdy.
Dr. Purdy rose above those challenges spending 14 years in the Army and later becoming one of the first doctors to use telemedicine, treating over 20,000 patients during the Pandemic.
She even earned the name “America’s Favorite Doctor.”
But memories of being bullied as a kid still haunt her to this day.
“Even as an adult, I still feel the after-effects of things that happened, you know, 20 or 30 years ago,” said Dr. Purdy.
She admits even her own children have dealt with bullies in the past.
“My children were also bullied in the previous community that we lived in. And that was one of the major reasons why we moved to Florida, away from Tennessee, was to get away from bullying,” said Dr. Purdy.
So, when the nonprofit group Boo2Bullying asked her to join their advisory board, she jumped at the chance.
The suicide prevention organization helps raise awareness, educating schools and parents and giving young people the tools they need to stop bullying.
“We have to give the victims and the families words to express what they're going through. And also provide them with a community, where they can get help, where they cannot feel alone,” explained Dr. Purdy.
Their group also encourages educators to step up.
“I think empowering the teachers, school staff, administrators and everyone in that environment, empowering them with the tools that they need, the words to say, the actions to take, can help prevent some of that more passive response that we often see,” said Dr. Purdy.
She continued, “We're providing an example. Things people can see. Things people can hear and stories that they relate to.”
Boo2Bullying continues to connect with over 30,000 young people in person and many more online.
If you are interested in joining their group or getting them to speak at your child’s school, you can reach out to them byclicking here.
