The basketball players saw Desiree being teased by other students. But instead of ignoring it, they headed to the stands to confront the bullies.
School can be difficult for a lot of kids, and oftentimes it has nothing to do with academics. Unfortunately, many students experience bullying in our country. And to make matters worse, they don’t always have a person in their corner to help put an end to it.
One bullying story that captured the internet’s attention comes from Kenosha, Wisconsin.
As we know, middle school can be a rough period in a kid’s life – especially if their peers view them as being slightly “different.” A girl named Desiree Andrews (who has Down syndrome) knows what it’s like to be targeted by bullies.
Desiree’s story
The 14-year-old became a cheerleader at Lincoln Middle School, which helped fulfill a dream. A dream she had since seeing a girl with Down syndrome cheering on an episode of Glee.
But for Desiree, being part of the team means more. It’s helped her boost her confidence and self-esteem. Unfortunately, it isn’t all unicorns and rainbows, as she found out during a basketball game.
Students began to tease her
Kids in the crowd started heckling and mocking Desiree, making fun of her. Because that’s what bullies do. Pick on those smaller and weaker.
Desiree however, seems to have an inner core of strength, as evidenced by what her father, Cliff Andrews, recounts. She did her best to ignore them but was upset on his behalf because he was angry. At this point, any father would be ready to step in to protect his little girl.
Luckily, help was on the way.
Three athletes refused to sit back and watch
When Chase Vasquez, Scooter Terrien, and Miles Rodriguez saw what was happening, they took immediate action.
“The kids in the audience were picking on D, so we all stepped forward,” says Vasquez.
And that brought the game to a halt, because as soon as the rest of the team realized what was happening, a timeout was called, and they walked off the court.
“We were mad. We didn’t like that. We asked our sports director to talk to the people and tell them not to make fun of her,” said Rodriguez.
The bullies were confronted and shot down.
“When I heard they were talking about her, it kind of like, made me mad,” Rodriguez said in an interview with TMJ4. “A couple of us went over there and were like, can you guys just stop. That’s not right.”
They continued to have her back
Since that experience, students are more aware of the issue of bullying, and Desiree has something of a posse looking out for her both on court and off. She is now introduced as part of the starting lineup at the beginning of each game.
And the gym where this all began has been renamed in D’s honor to “D’s House.”
Desiree herself recognizes how special this experience was. Having those boys step up to defend her was, in her words,
“…sweet, kind, awesome, amazing.”
And Scooter Terrien leaves us with some words we all need to reflect on.
“It’s not fair when other people get treated wrong because we are all the same.”
Not all bullying stories have positive endings, but this is one that is truly heartwarming. Hopefully, it inspires others to stand up for those who need it – and help put an end to bullying.
Watch the video below to hear these three heroes talk about the incident!
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