Bethany Thompson, 11-Year-Old Cancer Survivor, Kills Herself Over Bullying | HuffPost

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Bethany Thompson died last month.

Emma Prestwich— The Huffington Post Canada

She survived brain cancer, but the bullying at school was just too much.

An 11-year-old girl in Cable, Ohio died by suicide last month after being relentlessly taunted, her family told CNN.

Schoolmates teased Bethany Thompson over her curly hair, as well as her crooked smile — the latter of which was caused by nerve damage from radiation treatment, said her mom, Wendy Feucht.

After a bad day at school on Oct. 19, the girl came home and shot herself. Her stepfather was sleeping in another room.

Wendy Feucht and her daughter Bethany Thompson, who died Oct. 19. (Photo: Wendy Feucht/Facebook)

Feucht told CNN she and her husband never told their children where they kept their guns, so Bethany would have had to have gone searching.

The girl had told a friend on the bus about what she intended to do, Feucht told the Columbus Dispatch.

“She told her [friend] she loved her and that she was her best friend forever, but that she was going to kill herself when she got home.”

Feucht told the Dispatch she knows bullying drove Bethany to do what she did, saying a friend told her they’d been taunted endlessly that day.

“I think that she was just done. She didn’t feel like anybody could do anything to help her,” the mom said.

Bethany Thompson's memorial service was held Oct. 24. (Photo: Vernon Family Funeral Homes)

Bethany was in grade six, according to her obituary. She loved swimming, music, and Pokemon. She also looked forward to going to church camp.

Bethany's dad, Paul Thompson, told WHIO he was supposed to take her out for dinner the day after her death.

“I just didn’t realize the extent of [the bullying],” he said.

“She always happy when she was with me."

“I think that she was just done. She didn’t feel like anybody could do anything to help her." — mom Wendy Feucht

Triad Local Schools Superintendent Chris Piper told the Dispatch he was aware that Bethany had been bullied last year, but said he didn’t know of any recent incidents.

But four years ago, a 12-year-old boy at the middle school also took his own life, the paper reported.

Thompson family friend Ashley Cozad organized a benefit event on Oct. 30 to raise money for Bethany's headstone, as well as a scholarship fund.

The event will also raise awareness about bullying, according to WHIO.

"My daughter is 10 years old, she's in fifth grade, Bethany was in sixth, so as a mom, it's awful," Cozad told the broadcaster.

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The Best Defense Against Bullying Is Books

"Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon" by Patty Lovell, Ages 4 and Up(01 of15)

Molly Lou Melon makes no secret of her unique appearance. The wonderful illustrations, by David Catrow, also reinforce Molly's quirky yet endearing looks. With the support of her grandmother, Molly exudes confidence and joy, radiating beauty even as her unusual features are emphasized. When Molly moves away from her grandmother and to a new school, she relies on that very confidence as she encounters people who bully her and the way she looks.

"Enemy Pie" by Derek Munson, Ages 4 and Up(02 of15)

A clever parent teaches an important lesson in Enemy Pie. The narrator, a young boy, is certain that the arrival of his enemy, Jeremy Ross, to the neighborhood will make his life miserable. His father offers him some sneaky advice about how to deal with the situation, promising that if his son is nice to Jeremy for a whole day, he will create and serve a pie that will rid the neighborhood of Jeremy forever. Readers will see how kindness can be an effective tool in dealing with difficult peers.

"The Recess Queen" by Alexis O'Neill, Ages 4 and Up(03 of15)

Mean Jean fills the role of the bully, here called the "recess queen," commanding control and power at the playground. The recess dynamics are overthrown, however, when a new character, Katie Sue arrives. Katie Sue's kindness and new perspective teach readers that often even the worst of bullies, like Mean Jean, want to play with others too.

"Chrysanthemum" by Kevin Henkes, Ages 4 and Up(04 of15)

Chrysanthemum is a mouse with an unusual name. Her supportive family loves and embraces both the name and the young mouse, leading Chrysanthemum herself to find her identity magical. When she arrives at school, however, classmates do not respond as kindly to her name, cruelly throwing flower-related terms at her. The continued support of her family, along with the introduction of a kind and uniquely named music teacher, allow Chrysanthemum to embrace her name and all of the individuality that goes along with it.

"One" by Kathryn Otoshi, Ages 5 and Up(05 of15)

Otoshi demonstrates how a seemingly simple story about colors can actually become an important tale about bullying and personalities. In this world, Red is "HOT" and mean and begins bullying cool blue. One enters the scene and stands up to Red, teaching understanding through colors and numbers.

"The Other Side" by Jacqueline Woodson, Ages 7 and Up(06 of15)

Issues of race and friendship are central to this beautifully written and illustrated book. Woodson tells the tale of the friendship between two young girls, Clover and Annie. Their friendship carries the weight of racial segregation: Clover, who is African-American lives on the other side of a fence that separates her from Annie, who is white. Woodson emphasizes the power of friendship and connectedness.

"The Name Jar" by Yangsook Choi, Ages 7 and Up(07 of15)

Unhei has just moved to America from Korea and on her first day of school, she is worried about how her classmates will react to her name. She decides to withhold her name and, instead, plans to pick a new name out of a jar. The growing support of her classmates leads to her own acceptance of her true name.

"The Hundred Dresses" by Eleanor Estes, Ages 8 and Up(08 of15)

Eleanor Estes' classic book is both heartbreaking and hopeful. A girl named Wanda Petronski wears the same blue dress to school every day. When her classmates make fun of her, she lies and claims that she has one hundred dresses at home. Her classmates see through her lie and their bullying grows more extreme, ultimately causing Wanda to leave the school. Maddie, another student who has watched these events unfold, feels real empathy for Wanda and for the outcome of the situation, vowing always to stand up to bullying in the future. The beauty of the book is not in a perfectly happy ending, but in the sensitive way these subjects are addressed.

"Jake Drake, Bully Buster" by Andrew Clements, Ages 8 and Up(09 of15)

A fourth-grader named Jake shares some of his experiences with bullying. Clements conveys important messages on handling bully situations while crafting a story that is as enjoyable to read as many of his other popular books.

"Wonder" by RJ Palacio, Ages 9 and Up(10 of15)

Auggie, born with a facial deformity, goes to public school for the first time in fifth grade. My absolute favorite book of the year, and maybe one of my new favorites of all time, reading this book can change lives. The parents and sister all play vital roles in the book, too. The author describes the book as a "meditation on kindness".

"There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom" by Louis Sachar, Ages 8 and Up(11 of15)

Bradley Chalkers is a fifth grader who does not fit in. In many ways, Bradley fits the mold of the school bully: he is mean, unfriendly, and older than the rest of the kids in his grade. But a school counselor, Carla Davis, sees the potential in Bradley and offers him her support and guidance.

"When You Reach Me" by Rebecca Stead, Ages 10 and Up(12 of15)

Friendship is at the heart of this beautiful novel. Stead's story is laced with elements of mystery and allusions to other significant children's literature (most strikingly, Madeleine L'Engles A Wrinkle in Time). The protagonist, sixth-grader Miranda, is smart and observant, bold but also vulnerable.

"Harriet the Spy" by Louise Fitzhugh, Ages 10 and Up(13 of15)

Fitzhugh's timeless book documents the adventures of spunky Harriet, who spies on the people around her. Harriet jots down her sometimes biting observations in her notebook, a fun hobby until her notebook and all that is written in it is discovered. Harriet is left to deal with the difficult fallout from this discovery.

"The Misfits" by James Howe, Ages 10 and Up(14 of15)

A group of four middle schoolers are bonded together by their individual inabilities to fit in. They are all "misfits," in one way or another, and each bring a different perspective and different voice to the concept.

"One for the Murphys" by Linda Muhally Hunt, Ages 10 and Up(15 of15)

At the age of twelve, Carley Connors has already experienced some of the most difficult of challenges. Raised for most of her life in an unstable family environment, Carley's world is uprooted when she is placed in the care of a foster family, the Murphys. The Murphys provide Carley with care and support, and the novel follows Carley's constant process of learning to understand herself and her place in the world.

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