08/07/2026
This just breaks my heart! Please watch for signs of bullying and take it seriously. Unfortunately he may not have realized how smart and out side the box thinking that dyslexic students have! I need to figure out what I can do to fight this world because people can be so mean. I have seen it, dealt with it and so many people are ignorant to the fact that dyslexia is a  neurological disorder, it has nothing to do with intelligence. We have to work so much harder than other people. 
“To our family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, classmates, church family, and even the many strangers who have reached out…
From the bottom of our broken hearts, thank you.
I’ve heard so many beautiful stories and thoughts of my son, and I wanted to make my own post as well
For David
My son, David Gerald Joseph Crawford, was only 18 years old.
Before he became a headline, before people began asking questions, before conversations about bullying and mental health filled our lives, he was simply my baby boy.
He had the most beautiful brown eyes I’ve ever seen. They sparkled when he laughed, and if you ever heard that laugh, you know exactly what I mean. It could make my heart swell and bring tears to my eyes at the same time. He gave the biggest bear hugs, and if I had one wish, it would be to feel one more of those hugs.
David loved history. He loved politics. He loved debating anyone who would engage him—not because he wanted to argue, but because he genuinely loved learning and challenging ideas. He could spend hours walking, thinking, talking, and taking in the world around him.
He was dyslexic, and although he worked through it and accomplished so much despite it, it hurt him deeply. He couldn’t understand why something that wasn’t his fault made him feel “less than.” As his mom, that broke my heart because I saw the intelligent, capable young man he was, even when he couldn’t see it himself.
Like so many teenagers, David wanted to belong. He wanted to be accepted. He wanted to know he mattered.
No parent should ever have to stand where I am standing today.
As more people have come forward, I have heard story after story of relentless bullying that David endured. Whether people intended it or dismissed it as “just joking,” words have weight. Mockery has weight. Isolation has weight. Cruelty has weight.
To every student: you may forget something you said by tomorrow, but the person you said it to may carry it for years.
To every parent: teach your children that kindness is not weakness. Teach them that popularity means nothing if it comes at the expense of another person’s dignity.
To every school and every adult: never assume bullying is harmless. Never tell a hurting child to simply ignore it. Sometimes the wounds you cannot see are the ones that become unbearable.
I am not writing this because I want revenge.
I am writing this because I never want another mother to wake up to the nightmare that my family is living.
If David’s story changes one heart, causes one bully to stop, encourages one student to speak up, or gives one hurting teenager the courage to ask for help, then his beautiful life will continue making a difference.
Please don’t let his name be remembered only for how he died.
Remember how he lived.
Remember his sparkling brown eyes.
Remember his laugh.
Remember his love of history and spirited debates.
Remember the young man who deserved so much more time.
My son mattered.
He still matters.
And I will spend the rest of my life making sure the world knows his name—not because of the way we lost him, but because of the incredible young man we were blessed to love.
Forever loved. Forever missed.
I can’t wait to be with you again son.
David Gerald Joseph Crawford.”
