Episode 55 - KELAIA'S SOLUTION pt 3

Empowering Kelaia: A Path To Healing (gofundme)

Dr. Vanessa Tyler has a conversation with Ty Turner, mother of 14 year old Kelaia Turner. When Kelaia was 12 years old she was a victim of verbal and physical bullying by her South Carolina classmates for over a year. Eventually, Kelaia attempted suicide by hanging herself in 2023. Kelaia now suffers from permanent brain damage and requires round-the-clock care. Ty Turner tells us about her fight to provide care and justice for her daughter and she shares insight into Kelaia's spirit. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
And now as a brown person, you just feel so invisible.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
Where we're from. Brothers and sisters. I welcome you to
this joyful day and we celebrate freedom.

Speaker 3 (00:11):
Where we are I know someone's heart something.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
And where we're going.

Speaker 3 (00:18):
We the people means all the people.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
The Black Information Network presents black Land with your host
Vanessa Tyler. Welcome back, believe it or not. After twelve
year old Koalia Turner attempted suicide after she was relentlessly
bullied after at South Carolina school, she nearly died. In fact,
several times she was clinically dead with a loss of oxygen.

(00:41):
She is now in a vegetative state. But during her
one hundred and one days in the hospital, her mother
tied Turner, who was the one who found her child.

Speaker 3 (00:50):
That was about eleven eighteen pm on the first evening
of spring break, and I found my beautiful, bright girl
hanging from the belt of her robe from the loft
of her bunk.

Speaker 2 (01:05):
Also tells me the bullying did not stop when pictures
of her child ended up on social media.

Speaker 3 (01:12):
So the incident in ICU, we still were never able
to get to the bottom of. So I really am
hesitant to speak on it. Other than to say this,
Her ICU was very guarded. No one was allowed to
see Kalia except who we thought was her best friend.
So when Kalia hung herself, she bit through her tongue

(01:33):
in four different places and it lived outside of her
mouth for more than two months. And we would have
never wanted anyone to see that, and no one ever
really saw it except, like I said, those who were
close family members and the one person that we did
allow some alone time with her. And we did find
out that in that alone time with her, that that

(01:54):
young lady facetimed several other students, including once that that
young lady told me herself, we're not friends of Khalia.

Speaker 2 (02:02):
In those pictures got passed around on social media. Yes,
now this mother is on a mission to stop the bullying.
The family is also suing the Greenville County, South Carolina
School District and that teacher, who admitted she was in
the room even participated bullying. Kaleia Turner says, the school
did nothing and officials don't even seem to care.

Speaker 3 (02:24):
And when you look at the response from the school district,
it's so cold, you know. And not only are they
not talking about what they're going to do moving forward
to make sure there's not another Kalia Turner. I don't
really feel any empathy and compassion for Kaleia Turner. There's

(02:45):
no accountability for what happened to Kalia Turner. There are
only the words that they feel sorry for Kaleia Turner
and her family.

Speaker 1 (02:53):
What's your message to parents, to the children, to those
who have children who are being bullied, and to those
parents who may have gotten a call that their child is,
you know, a bully at school themselves.

Speaker 3 (03:08):
The first thing that I would say is that hurt people.
Hurt people. And the reason then I said that I'm
taking on this advocacy is because mental health is so important,
and all this is about mental health, every last bit
of it from the bully that isn't receiving what they
need at home. Because kids have to have stability, you know,

(03:33):
they have to have acceptance, they have to feel security,
they have to feel supported, and they have to feel loved.
And the fact of the matter, not every child has
that at home. The same thing with our children that
are being bullied. They show signs. I saw this little
light of mind dimming. I saw it, I could feel it.

(03:57):
She went from a bubbly ray of sunshine to somebody
who constantly had their eyes shiny with tears ready to
drop at any moment.

Speaker 2 (04:08):
Terner says everything she attempted, like trying to meet with
the parents of the bullies, changed school units for Khalia,
were met with a brick wall. She also has this
die or warning.

Speaker 3 (04:20):
I think we forget that a lot of these school
shootings that have happened happened because the students were bullied
and nobody took the time to treat them like they mattered.

Speaker 1 (04:31):
How can we help, Well.

Speaker 3 (04:33):
You're healthy now just by sharing her story, That's the
thing I mean, because I don't think that enough if
people realize how real this issue is. And it did
happen to a little black girl in South Carolina, but
that's not the only person that it's happening too, and
it happens every day.

Speaker 2 (04:53):
Reluctantly, the family has set up a goalfundme to care
for Kohleia, who is now fourteen years old.

Speaker 3 (05:00):
I am so conflicted about the GoFundMe. Initially, I didn't
want to make a gofund me because I don't want
to exploit Claire's story in any way, nor do I
want it to feel exploitative, but many supporters give me
ideas are are They suggest things? And the GoFundMe was
at the suggestion of a supporter. You know, they were

(05:21):
asking what we were trusting and believing God for. And
we set a Vanne like that's really all we need
is just to be able to so she made it right,
she's living now. We need to help her to thrive
and have the very best life possible, y'all. I'm so proud.
I won't want to ask for anything. I really don't.

(05:43):
But we have sat in the house for eighteen months
on my bride on Me, wanting to figure it out ourselves,
and so we did put it out there, and we've
been overwhelmed with somebody access to create an Amazon gift

(06:04):
list for Kalia because some people don't feel comfortable given
to the GoFundMe, and I understand that people have just
been wonderful. Strangers have been more beautiful than friends. In
this season. There is an Amazon wish list for Khalia.
It is a public list. It's called Kalaia's Care And

(06:27):
you know, I just add things on there because sometimes,
like somebody last night reached out. We've gotten tons of
messages through the GoFundMe and I've responded to every single one.

Speaker 2 (06:37):
The family emptied their savings. Ty Turner has quit her
job to be a full time caretaker for Kalia. She
also is now a full time fighter against bullying.

Speaker 3 (06:48):
I will be advocating for Kohalia. I will be advocating
for children like Kalia because there are so many and
GIRLA county is gonna have to stand up. We're gonna
have to be accountable. We're going to have to show
and and prove what we're doing to make sure that
this doesn't happen again. I've cried many tears. There have

(07:11):
been lots of whinies, why her? But God and I
know that there is a purpose. There has always been
a purpose in this. In the purposes that and that
is to be light in a dark place.

Speaker 2 (07:34):
Old recital videos of Kleia playing the piano reminds her
mother of who she was. Her vibrant, active, whip smart
daughter is now a symbol of what must change.

Speaker 3 (07:46):
And again, the golf on me is kindness for Khleia,
Kindness for Khalia. Listen, if you can't give, because not
everyone can, you can lead in love like we want
this to be a whole entire movement. So one of
the greatest commandments that God asks us is to love
our neighbors as we love ourselves. And if we would

(08:10):
just do that, the world would be such an incredible place.
May God keep you, keep your husband, your daughter's and
most importantly, your precious Khalia Man.

Speaker 2 (08:24):
I'm Vanessa Tyler. Like and subscribe to black Land. Check
out past episodes. Let me know what you think on
Instagram at Vanessa Tyler one. A new episode drops every Friday,