One thing I have learned is that people can be cruel. I have seen some comments on pictures, some of them are evil. This form of abuse is called “cyberbullying.” It has become increasingly popular and it can have horrible consequences. In some cases, it has driven people to make fatal decisions.
It was supposed to be a normal and joyful day for Jessica McDaniels. She is a single mom that went out to meet two of her friends. Her friends had just gotten engaged and she felt like taking a picture of the happy couple. Jessica is smiling and snapping pictures at her friends. Someone snaps a picture of Jessica smiling and it quickly goes viral. Unfortunately, not for the right reasons.
Jessica has problems with her teeth. It has been since she was little. She started getting her adult teeth until she was 12 years old. She was confused at the time and did not know the reason. She did not have enough money to take care of them. When they grew, they were crooked and formed a nasty overbite.
She went to see dentists at the time and they suggested oral surgery. It was the only way to fix the problem. Jessica had already gone through nine surgeries between the ages of 2 and 12 to correct a problem with her hearing. After that, her family’s finances took a big hit. They could not afford to pay for the surgery to fix her teeth. It would take thousands of dollars and they did not have the money.
Jessica had been bullied when she was young over her teeth. She had grown and thought it was all behind her. When she saw her picture going viral on the Internet, it brought back very bad memories. It was devastating for her to know that people she didn’t even know would do this to her. Some comments stated she should be at the zoo. Other even went so far as to say she shouldn’t have kids.
With all the terrible things, also came some good ones. Krystal Starks, a former classmate of Jessica’s, found out about the bullying and decided to do something about it. Even though she hadn’t been close to Jessica in high school, she set up a GoFundMe page. The goal was to raise money for Jessica’s surgery. The fundraiser almost raised the money necessary for the surgery. The goal was $10,000. A compassionate doctor decided to step up. What she did stunned everyone.