IGNORANT stares and the echo of ill-founded words often follow little Ayden Bird and his family.
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With every snicker and sly smile, his mother’s heart breaks as bullies take pleasure in teasing a boy, who is battling hard just to stay alive.
Ayden may seem like your average toddler, all smiles and giggles and enough energy to fuel a jet plane.
But unlike most other four-year-olds, he is suffering from Biliary Atresia, a rare condition which destroys the body’s bile ducts and ultimately destroys the liver.
Without a liver transplant there is no telling how long this youngster will survive.
As if the continual hospitilisations, blood tests and other consequences of his condition aren’t enough, Ayden has become the verbal punchbag of some local school students.
“The whole fact that they don’t know him and think it’s funny that he’s dying slowly, is just devastating,” Ayden’s mother Jodie Pointon said.
As a symptom of his disease, Ayden presents with jaundice, a yellowed or greenish appearance of the skin and whites of the eyes because of an excess of bilirubin not cleared by the liver.
Often his sister Zoe Pointon,12, – who attends a local school – will become victim to verbal abuse when other children tease her about her brother’s complexion.
Most recently, a high school student taunted Zoe, calling Ayden the “green machine”, “ET” and “son of Shrek”.
After this incident Ayden’s mother said she had reached breaking point.
“I had never dreamt that it would come to this. All I want is for people to understand,” she said.
Ayden was put on the liver transplant list just after he turned a year old.
Every day the prospect of that life-changing phone call lingers in the back of Ms Pointon’s mind.
Every day she worries for the health of her child.
Most children with his condition, she said, had a transplant before they were 12 months old.
“I tell Ayden he’s like a car with a broken part that needs replacing,” she said.
“It’s the only way to get him to understand.”
From adults in shopping centres, to groups of school children, Ms Pointon has been the subject of judgmental stares and hurtful words.
But as far as Ayden is concerned, he is just as happy and healthy as any other child.
His colour does not bother him and – despite suffering from osteoperosis, having regular blood tests and a large scar on his stomach from a Kasai operation – the four-year-old could not seem happier.
Ms Pointon hopes speaking out about his condition will help parents educate their children and raise awareness of the lingering effects bullying can have on victims and their families.
“I can’t change people’s opinions, but maybe education is the best way.
“Maybe kids will think twice, before they pick on anyone – there is always a story behind the story.”
Children who feel like they are being bullied can free-call the Kids Help Line on 1800 55 1800 – a confidential telephone counselling service aimed at helping children deal with life’s problems. Or visit their web site at www.kidshelp.com.au.
