At a school pickup in Westminster, Colorado, Cassandra Ridder noticed something troubling about her 12-year-old son, Brody. Usually upbeat and cheerful, Brody seemed off that day, choosing to listen to music in silence rather than engage in conversation.
Curious about his mood, Ridder, 31, gently asked Brody about his yearbook. She had received an email earlier that day informing parents that students would be bringing their yearbooks home.
Did he get many signatures?
The question brought tears to Brody's eyes. With a heavy heart, Ridder learned that when Brody had asked his classmates to sign his yearbook, some had refused outright, and a few others only scribbled their names with no personal messages. There was nothing to acknowledge his unique qualities, his intelligence, or his humor.
When Ridder looked at Brody's yearbook, her heart sank further. Inside, Brody had written a note to himself: "I hope you make some more friends," signing it with his own name.
This poignant note was a stark reflection of Brody’s loneliness and the struggles he faced.
Brody, who has a deep love for chess, fencing, and dinosaurs, often finds himself isolated. He sits alone at lunch and plays by himself during recess. His peers struggle to relate to his interests, and he has faced teasing about his physical appearance and his intellectual nature. “He cries to me pretty much every day,” Ridder shared, clearly distressed by her son's ongoing struggles.
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