A 10-year-old boy from Daqing, China, was admitted into hospital after his family discovered a sizeable quantity of black matter in his vomit.
On 23rd September 2017, Liu Xinze had reported feeling unwell after his dinner and promptly threw up.
In an interview with local Heilongjiang Television Station based in China, his sister was taken aback that he was throwing up so much. It was only after he rushed to the bathroom that they noted something strange.
“There were plenty of black substances in his vomit,” his sister said. “I wondered if he had eaten Oreo biscuits.”
What the bullies did to him was shocking.
Boy Swallows Large Quantities of Pencil Lead
The family rushed Xinze to Daqing Oilfield General Hospital when they discovered that the black shards they had found in his vomit were pencil lead.
The amount of graphite he had consumed had caused his stomach acid to turn completely black.
According to reports, the young boy then had to undergo three hours of surgery to have his stomach pumped of the graphite.
When asked about why he had consumed pencil lead, a nervous Xinze claimed that he was “just hungry”. But his parents sensed something amiss. It was only after further prompting did the family discover the tragic truth.
A Victim of Bullying
Xinze, frightened out of his wits, finally confessed that he had been forced to swallow the pencil lead by two bullies in school. The boy, who was suffering from self-esteem issues, had not told his parents that he was being bullied at school.
The older girls, fellow schoolmates in Daqing Petrochemical No.4 Elementary School, had handed him some pencils and threatened to beat him up if he did not eat the lead.
Lasting Damage
Misleading though the name is, there is no lead in pencil lead, thankfully ruling out the possibility of Xinze suffering from any lead poisoning. Pencils are made of pure graphite. Although Xinze was lucky enough not to have suffered from a worse fate, graphite can also cause significant injury to the digestive system.
The real injuries left behind, though, are internal. All children who have to deal with bullying have lasting scars which stay with them for a lifetime. If you think your child is a victim of bullying, take action.
How to Know If Your Child Is Being Bullied
Sight
If you see that there are strange marks, bruises, swelling or scrapes on your child, make sure to make a mental note. It might just be your kid being a kid… but it may also be a bully getting physical. Don’t just look for signs on the body, but your child’s possessions as well. Things may suspiciously get damaged or go missing.
Touch
Pay attention to your child’s feelings. If your little one seems strangely clingy, afraid of going to school, worried to leave you, unusually sullen and lacklustre, it may be because he does not feel like school is safe anymore.
Hearing
Keep an ear out, because you might hear things from others. Their teacher might drop you a note about lower grades, or a shorter attention span. Or maybe friends may mention that your child refuses to hang out with them anymore. On top of that, listen to your child. Many kids report not telling their parents about being bullied. This is because they don’t believe their parents will believe them or can do anything about it.
Taste
Sometimes, a child losing a taste for food can point to anxiety, depression or stress from what is happening out of the house. Conversely, if he or she tends to come home ravenous, it could be that someone is taking their food or lunch money.
Smell
Many of these things may not be a result of bullying. But in the end, if you smell something fishy, trust your gut instinct. You know your child best and you know what sort of behaviour is suspicious. Be sure to be supportive and not make them ashamed of being a victim.
If you do suspect someone is bullying your child, refer to the handy infographic below for more information on how to deal with it.
Have any experience with your child being bullied? How did you deal with it?
Sources: Helongjiang Television Station, Character.org
READ: Infographic: What parents need to know about bullying