Texas boy who went viral for needing friends makes many new ones
AMARILLO, Texas — A Texas community is rallying around an 11-year-old boy who went viral for looking for new friends after he was bullied. Shayden Walker was celebrated by dozens of his neighbors at the anti-bullying "Shine Like Shayden" event Sunday at a park in Amarillo.
“We organized this event to raise awareness against bullying and to be a voice for those that do not dare to stand up for themselves,” said Kyle Tijerina, a neighbor who hosted the event. “We are trying to promote the courage to stand up against bullying by reaching out and talking to people.”
The boy had gone viral after his neighbor, Brennan Ray, shared security camera footage on TikTok, showing Shayden stopping by his neighbor’s house on July 3 looking for other children his age. In the video, Shayden is seen talking to his neighbor through a front door security camera.
“Um, I just wanted to see if you knew any kids around like 11 or 12, maybe,” the boy can be heard saying in the video. “I need some friends, like really bad.”
Ray posted the video to help connect Shayden to friends, garnering over 70 million views as of this week. He and his wife, Angell Ray, also started a GoFundMe page for Shayden.
“It is overwhelming but also awe-inspiring that Amarillo could come together like this from all walks of life from anyone who has been bullied whether they are abled or special needs," Shayden's mother, Krishna Patterson, said. "Shayden always says bullying is a dark and lonely path for the bully or the one being bullied. There are people that you can reach out to because you are obviously in pain.”
'He is a beautiful soul': Neighbor helps boy who knocked on his door looking for friends
Viral video puts a spotlight on bullying
Tijerina said the video highlighted a shared experience of loneliness for many people.
“This hit home for a lot of people that saw or experienced bullying that did not dare to stand up and did not know how to deal with the issue,” Tijerina said. “It shows that you have support no matter who you are. We want to show that there are people to talk to. We need to build better camaraderie with our community to combat bullying.”
Shayden attended the event and urged people who are being bullied or are bullying others to reach out for help.
Shayden’s stepfather, Dustin Patterson, and Krishna Patterson, were initially overwhelmed by the number of people who had reached out to Shayden. They "had no idea" about the video or the GoFundMe until their older son asked if they knew Shayden was famous.
“The one thing that I noticed about everybody that has reached out is that almost everyone has known someone that is a victim of bullying or was a victim of bullying themselves,” Patterson said. “I think that seeing a kid that was willing to go out and look for friends despite knowing he has been bullied in the past is still willing to take that risk, I think, just hit hard for everyone that has gone through that."
GoFundMe will help boy travel, get new clothes
Ray said he was touched by Shayden coming to his door, and being open about looking for friends and his bullying. He didn't expect the video to go viral and said people recommended he set up the GoFundMe for Shayden.
“Shayden himself touched me in the video with his infectious smile. He shows to everybody in the video that he was genuinely reaching out for help in the video so we felt compelled to reach out to step up for the kid," Ray said. “I think this video touched the world. If you were human, you could tell that Shayden was asking for help."
The page raised over $37,000 to go toward anything Shayden wanted or needed, including clothes and amusement park tickets.
Dustin Patterson said half of the money raised will be donated to other causes and charities, with some put toward Shayden’s future. The money will also go toward a vacation for Shayden, since the 11-year-old hasn’t been on one since he was a toddler.
According to Krishna Patterson, Shayden has received a number of diagnoses, including autism, oppositional defiant disorder, bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and others.
She previously told Paste BN that Shayden had a hard time maintaining friendships and had been bullied for some time. So when she first heard of the video, she reacted with panic, anger and fear.
Krishna Patterson said she wanted it shut down but after talking with others, she saw it as a good thing for Shayden.
“I was panicked because I thought my son is going to be made a laughingstock,” Krishna Patterson said. “Shayden has already had so many problems with school, with being bullied and hopeless. Then when I met with these people, Angel and Brennen, who started the GoFundMe and shared the video, they are literally walking angels."
Contributing: Saleen Martin, Paste BN