Mum's heartbreaking photo of daughter in hospital bed: 'This is what bullying does'

"This is what bullying does," the mother wrote. Photo / Facebook

A mum's Facebook post about the devastating consequences of bullying has gone viral for heartbreaking reasons.

Carrie Golledge, from Tiverton, Devon, posted a photo of her six-year-old daughter Sophia asleep in a hospital bed. Her caption was gut-wrenching:

"This is what bullying does," she wrote. "This is my six-year-old daughter, hospitalised, due to bullying.

"This is my child with such a caring heart that despite being so ill 'doesn't want anyone to get in trouble'.

"This is my child who has stopped eating, has cried herself to sleep, had anxiety so severe she's up sick over 20 times in an hour through the night …

"This is my child whose 'best friend' has emotionally abused her for so long she thought it was normal …

"This is my child who has been in and out of hospital for countless trips due to being so sick with anxiety. This is my child who was told off for 'telling tales at school'.

"This is my child who has been mocked on social media by the bullies' parents for just having such a pure heart …

"This is my child who when addressing the issues with her school we were told 'It's just six-year-olds being six-year-olds'."

In the post, which has now been shared nearly 220,000 times in just a couple of days, the mum calls for people to stand up to bullies and ensure no child goes through what little Sophia is going through.

She continued: "This is my child who was told by the school she should be the one feeling ashamed and be snuck in a side door of a morning...

"This is my child who her school failed her so badly that we had to move her schools...

"This is my child who is one of too many that are going through this...

"This is my child whose story is being twisted and manipulated by the very people that were meant to protect her at her school when she was in their care...

"This is my child who doesn't want this to happen to anyone else. So this is my child's story we are sharing but she is one of many....too many," she added.

The post resonated with people all over the world who shared their best wishes for Sophia.

"So sorry to see this Carrie, I hope she finds nice new friends she deserves," a Facebook user commented.

"So sad to read this. She was a lovely little girl when I've met her. This is horrible," someone else said.

In a comment in her post, Golledge thanked people for their messages of support.

"I have been inundated with such amazing messages from people that I don't even know and I am trying to get through them all while I also work out how to allow you all to comment on the post. You are all incredible I'm restoring our faith in people that has been stripped from us over the last couple months," she wrote.