Real Stories: Eva

*This is a true account, but images and names have been changed to protect privacy.

When Eva was in year nine, her best friend spread a rumour about her, telling everyone she was close to that she was talking badly behind their backs. She lost all of her friends. 

In the months that followed, Eva was called names, was cyberbullied and told to kill herself multiple times. Her mental health declined massively, she felt completely isolated from the rest of her year group and would find ways to get out of going to school. When she did go, she would beg her mum to pick her up early. 

“The bullying destroyed my confidence and my motivation to anything it’s almost like it created a wall between me and reality,” Eva explained.

It got to the point she felt completely depressed, starting to self-harm as a way to cope. Eventually, she reached the point of attempting to take her own life. 

Eva told us, “I think I first started to see I really needed help when I saw my mums face when she saw what I had been doing to myself and how worried she was.”

She agreed to go to therapy and was prescribed anti-depressants and slowly started to feel like her old self again.

With the help and support of her family and therapist, Eva is working through the trauma of the experience.

“Because of the extent of the bullying, I constantly feel like everyone hates me, and if I sense and off vibe from anyone I immediately assume they’re angry with me or hate me – even if it’s my own mum or my now best friend.

“There’s a constant voice in the back of my head telling me I don’t deserve their love and they resent me for being myself.”

Eva was supported by her family, but through Dolly’s Dream she felt less isolated.

“I first seen Dolly’s Dream on Instagram right before Do It For Dolly Day in 2025, and I immediately fell in love with the cause because it was like my story, I suddenly felt less alone.”

Having come through one of the hardest periods of her life, Eva wants to use her experience to help others. Here’s what she’d like every young person experiencing bullying to know:

• Telling a teacher or another trusted adult is not snitching. It’s asking for help and it could save your life. 
• Try not to take cruel words personally because the way people treat others is often a reflection of how they feel about themselves. That doesn’t make their behaviour okay, but it does remind us that their words do not define your worth.
• Bullying does not make someone cool or powerful. It causes real pain
• To anyone who has suffered in silence, I see you, and I want you to know that there is support available.
• Choose kindness. Share love, offer compassion, and lift others up because your kindness has the power to change someone’s life. One kind word can stay with a person just as long as one cruel word can, so let your words be the reason someone feels seen, valued, and hopeful

We'd like to thank Eva for sharing her story so openly and courageously. We know it isn't easy to revisit painful experiences, and we're incredibly grateful that she's chosen to do so in the hope of helping other young people feel less alone. We wish Eva all the very best for the future and hope her words remind others that there is always hope, and that things can get better.

If Eva’s story has brought up difficult feelings or you've been affected by bullying, please know you don't have to face it alone.

Dolly's Dream's Bullying Support Line, 13 DOLLY (13 36 55), connects children, young people and families with professional counsellors who understand the impact bullying can have. Whether you're experiencing bullying yourself, supporting someone who is, or simply need someone to talk to, help is available.

Remember, asking for help is a sign of strength, and support is only a phone call away.