A Cape Breton boy who made headlines in June for being escorted to school by bikers has now gone viral.
Xander Rose, 10, was the target of racial slurs and made fun of this school year due to his weight. He says he was also subjected to threats of violence and told to kill himself.
Determined to help her son, who loves motorcycles and wants to be a biker, Laybolt reached out to a group of bikers to see if they could help.
Hundreds of bikers escorted him to school, garnering 11 million views online.
"It makes me feel real proud. He's managed to speak to 11 million people. His story got out and that’s important,” says Richard Rose, Xander’s dad.
The video even got the attention of a major celebrity – Ashton Kutcher. Kutcher took to Facebook, sharing Xander's story and writing 'take note, bullies everywhere.'
"At first, I had to wonder, 'is he going to 'punk' me and my 10-year old son? Is that what's going on here?'” says Richard.
Xander, however, is taking it all in stride and hopes his story helps others.
"It makes me feel good because I feel like I’m helping other kids who are having the same problems," says Xander.
The next big highlight for Xander will be in Membertou, where he will be a special guest in August for the Cape Breton bike rally.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Ryan MacDonald
