A tormented teenager who cut herself over 1,000 times has written a powerful open letter – to her school BULLIES.
Laura Trathen, 18, suffered years of mental and physical abuse from the age of 14.
The cruel taunts led her to pull out her long blonde hair and cut her arms with razor blades.
After an attempt on her own life last summer, she received treatment at a mental health unit and began the process of rebuilding her life.
And she has now shared a poem she wrote about her feelings entitled “To Everyone Who Ever Bullied Me”.
The poem contains a chilling line about writing ‘the letter’ – her final letter before she tried to take her life.
She wrote: “Feeling I was hopeless. And that nothing would get better, I stayed up many nights, Trying to write “the letter”
“I thought to myself, I can’t do this anymore, Too much has happened to me, That is for sure.”
The poem ends with Laura talking about her battle for recovery and her determination not to let her bullies win.
Laura has been supported throughout her struggle by her family including her parents Jan and Caroline Trathen, twin sister Katie, older brother Liam and grandparents Jill and Peter Veale.
Mrs Veale said: “Our granddaughter suffered in silence for several years from physical and mental bullying. She was too afraid to tell anyone and didn’t even tell her twin sister. We never knew the torment and suffering she went through.
“Looking back, we can see this is when she changed. She went from being the more confident and outgoing of the twins to being moody and very quiet.”
After being admitted to hospital in July last year, Laura, from Wendron in Cornwall, spent nearly six months in and out of the unit at Bridgwater, Somerset.
She said: “It was difficult being far away.
“At first, if I wanted to see my family, I had to wait for the weekend.
“I missed the comfort of my own bedroom. We were allowed to decorate our room how we wanted but were not allowed our own bedding.
“If I could pick up the unit in Bridgwater and put it in Cornwall, my time there would have been more bearable because I would have known my family was close by.”
Wayne Jenkins, head of Laura’s school Helston Community College said that a few young people will resort to bullying while learning appropriate social boundaries.
“This is, of course, a completely unacceptable way to behave,” he said.
“At Helston, we take every incidence of bullying seriously, tackling offenders, and supporting victims and brokering ways forward.
“We promote the co-operative values, which actively encourage young people to care for each other, and to show both self-responsibility and social responsibility.”
Laura’s poem in full –
To Everyone Who Ever Bullied Me…
You knocked me down
And hard was the fall
Every day was a struggle
As you made me feel small
But carry on I did
As if everything was fine
After years of torment
I began to decline
Pretending was my game
But to fail I soon began
To hide my face away
And come up with a plan
Feeling I was hopeless
And that nothing would get better
I stayed up many nights
Trying to write “the letter”
I thought to myself
I can’t do this anymore
Too much has happened to me
That is for sure
Screaming for help
Or for anybody to listen
Trying to hide the tears
But they saw the glisten
Self-harm was the way
I used to cope
When I felt like nothing
And there was no hope
Now I am left
With memories and scars
Of those times in my past
When I felt locked behind bars
Recovery is difficult
But with support and care
I feel I can do it
I am determined to get there
