When i was 8 years old and in the third grade i was bullied and verbally harassed on a daily basis. School was not easy for me. I would wake up every morning feeling sick to my stomach because i was so nervous about going.  i was diagnosed with ADHD in third grade which resulted in me being taken out of class at times so i could focus on certain tasks. That gave the bully's another excuse to taunt me. They would call me names, pull my hair etc. It wasnt until one day on the bus when i received hand written notes (which i still have) that anything was truly done. In the notes read : We hate you. We wish you were dead... etc...  As soon as i got home from school, i showed my mother the notes. i will never forget the look on my mothers face when she read them. She took my hand and together we went back to the school. My mother threw the notes on the principles desk and told her to do something about it. Nothing was done of course, but my mother and father being the most amazing two parents i could ever ask for, pulled me out of that school that very same day. To this day i still go to therapy... not because im not over what happened, but it does effect me everyday. In 8th grade, i made a documentary about bullying which was in a way very therapeutic for me. However, i still struggle with certain things in my life.  For example, I second guess myself all the time. Im not the most confident person, and at times i have a hard time letting people in. i am now 25 and have had 3 cosmetic surgeries to change the way i look. Even though i will never admit part of the reason why i have had these surgeries is because of what happened to me when i was younger, it is.  Its not the answer, but it did help my confidence. I am a work in progress... I live everyday learning and growing as a young woman and anything i can do to prevent bullying i will! For anyone out there who has or is being bullied.. You are NOT alone.. Speak up and tell someone. Love is Louder<3