I was awestruck after reading “Never Again” by Elizabeth Ditty. I had no idea that I was about to read such a powerful, moving story. This article clearly demonstrates how our words can have such a tremendous effect on others. Elizabeth was shot with nasty remarks on a daily basis. People judged her by her weight, and made it seem as if all she was was fat. They stripped away anything good about her and left her feeling insecure about her identity. Going to school meant facing the terrifying torment brought to her by her bullies.
I was devastated after reading how she was so close to taking her own life because of this. It shocked me how no one seemed to notice that the bullying was making her suicidal. This made me realize how ignorant we can be about the pain victims of bullying go through. How could people not notice the suffering she was going through? I couldn’t believe how people could have disregarded her feelings like that.

Elizabeth describes how she felt that suicide was her only option. Thankfully, right before she planned on killing herself she realized that she was better than that. The result of this was her writing a 3 paged letter to her bully. This letter trapped me in a whirlwind of emotions. I felt like crying because she described her pain so vividly and made it seem so real. I was also happy that she was finally standing up to herself and demanding the treatment she deserved. She showed me the real meaning of courage when she read the letter to her bully.

I’m glad that Elizabeth shared her story with us. She taught me to never let anyone make me feel bad about myself. I now know to be more aware of the consequences of bullying, and to be an upstander instead of a bystander.