AMARILLO – An Amarillo boy is sharing a message of kindness after a viral video showed him going door-to-door and asking for friends.
In the video that was posted on TikTok, 11-year-old Shayden Walker asked his neighbors if they knew any kids his age because he was bullied and needed “some friends real bad.”
His neighbor, Brennan Ray, said he didn’t have any children his age but said he would tell Shayden “hi” when he saw him around the neighborhood.
Ray later posted the doorbell video of the interaction on TikTok, where it garnered 67.7 million views and 10.7 million likes in less than a week. See the video in the player above.
Shayden told KFDA that his confidence has been “through the roof” since the video went viral. He said in the past, he was manipulated and bullied by other kids who he thought were his friends.
His mother, Krishna Patterson, said Shayden did not have the confidence to be himself, and “he’s been hospitalized because the bullying was so bad.”
With the video going viral, Patterson said she hopes people will understand the effects of bullying.
“... he felt so isolated. If you see it (bullying), just advocate for that person, just be there for that person, do not let that person suffer,” Patterson said.
The Ray family started a fundraiser for Shayden, and the community has planned a biking and running event for this weekend.
“It just takes one person, especially if you’re a popular kid, people look up to you,” Ray told KFDA. “If you can be the one to stand out and help somebody else, set that trend, make that the trend to be set to not be a bully.”
Read also: