...Do Unto Others (Bullied girl update)

[Sequoia]

As noted in Amanda Mortimer's blog below, Olivia is a fourteen-year-old girl who recently went through a serious depression as a result of being bullied in and out of school. WATCH VIDEO. Her segment struck a chord with our own staff - when I caught up with her in the greenroom after her segment one of our crew members came in to tell her that his brother also was bullied through school after having a seizure in class. Ann Curry walked her out of the studio saying, "I could have talked to you for another ten minutes." (which, in television time, is an eternity). I caught up with Olivia and her mother Kathleen - below are some highlights from our conversation on the issue from their perspective:

Q: Bullying seems to be a universal problem: you've been hearing a lot from people who have gone through bullying - even from some of our staff today - has that had an effect on you, has that really registered?

Olivia: It does because a lot of bullied people feel alone with what they go through, and that's what brings up the suicidal feelings I think. And when I found out I wasn't alone, that's kind of what made it all disappear -

Kathleen: That's when she started laughing again, that's when she started smiling again - therapy, and then the letters. It was like all of a sudden - they were the best medicine.

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http://allday.msnbc.msn.com/default.aspx

[Swamp Rat]

1. k&r