When little Emmanuel Hawkins discovered that his mother had died at the hands of a “bully,” his confusion prompted his grandmother to help him write an anti-bullying book, featuring the active 11-year-old as a superhero, My Fox Atlanta reports.
In 2003, while his mother, Tara Hawkins, was only three months pregnant, she was viciously attacked by a 17-year-old boy who demanded $10 from her.
“They said the young man grabbed her, snapped her neck, turned her upside down, dropped her on her head and then did a body slam on her,” Tara Hawkins’ mother, Nonnie Hawkins, said.
The 18-year-old mom-to-be was declared brain-dead, but her mother made the decision to keep her daughter on life support for a few more months so that Emmanuel could be delivered safely, 12 weeks early and weighing only 2 pounds, the news station notes. He was called “the miracle baby.”
“I was told he would have chronic lung disease all his life. He wouldn’t be able to walk, talk or do anything,” Nonnie Hawkins explained to the news station.
Although doctors didn’t see much hope for Emmanuel’s future, today the 11-year-old is super active, loving the outdoors and doing pretty much everything he puts his mind to.
And now he’s the author of Bully Me? No Way!, which talks about bullying and how to fix it. Upon learning the circumstances surrounding his mom’s slaying, the boy had asked, “Are you kidding me? I don’t have a mom because of a bully?” Nonnie Hawkins recalled.
According to the report, the book is free for children and is set to be turned into a public service announcement about the dangers of bullying. Nonnie Hawkins is looking for other young kids to join her spirited grandson in putting an end to bullying.
“Our goal is to educate kids,” the grandmother said.
Read more at My Fox Atlanta.