Warning: This article contains references to suicide that may disturb some people.
A seven-year-old boy has left his teacher a heartbreaking suicide note after he could no longer cope with relentless bullying.
Jack Wilkinson, from Sydney, left the note on his Year 2 teacher's desk. Penned in his own handwriting, it read: "God, please take me".
Jack had long been the target of bullies and only recently was beaten for some 10 minutes by a classmate in his school's playground, and stabbed with a fork in the back.
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His mother Kristy Sturgess told The Daily Mail Australia that Jack was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder at a young age and had been struggling with ongoing bullying, with the taunts becoming physical by the time her got to Year 2.
She said he would often come home in tears, begging not to go back to school.
"They would say things, call him names, tell him he was crazy," she told The Daily Mail.
Her son saw no hope for his future, she said.
"He was seven, and he was just done."
He wrote on his pillow in "I don't want to be alive" and when he returned to school a few weeks later, he left a note for his teacher, reading: "God, just take me".
Ms Sturgess worked tirelessly to help Jack regain his confidence, and the family sought extra help from counsellors to help him with his anxiety and the trauma from being bullied.
Jack, who loves to draw, is using his artwork to print on t-shirts and sell to raise money for Kid's Helpline - a confidential helpline for children and young adults.
Jack told The Daily Mail he feels better when he can draw.
And knowing he has someone to talk to during this ordeal has been a huge comfort.
A Facebook page has been set up for people to follow Jack's journey with supporting young Australians that suffer from anxiety and depression.
Where to find help and support:
Need to Talk? - Call or text 1737
Lifeline - 0800 543 354 or (09) 5222 999 within Auckland
Youthline - 0800 376 633, text 234, email talk@youthline.co.nz or online chat
Samaritans - 0800 726 666
Depression Helpline - 0800 111 757
- Suicide Crisis Helpline - 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)
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