We were heartbroken and terrified finding out Claire was experiencing extreme bullying at school and feeling so defeated that she wanted to die. The school denied knowledge of bullying, even insinuated that Claire was lying. Charles, her father, went to lunch with her one day. Afterwards, they were playing kickball when three girls sitting on a bench shouted, “We hate you Claire!”. Claire looked at her dad and said, “See, this is what I’m talking about.” It was a completely unprovoked verbal attack with her father standing right next to her. We knew we needed to act fast, but were unsure which way to turn.

Claire and her dad enjoyed watching movies together. When they watched Real Steel, a story about boxing and robots, it became one of Claire’s favorites. When a friend suggested she try mixed martial arts, they called and made an appointment for the next class. It was a huge success!