A NSW teenager has been left in a wheelchair after trying to take his own life because of bullying.
Dakoda-Lee Strainer, 14, cannot talk or walk and is fed food and drink through a tube in his stomach, the Daily Telegraph reports.
The teen, who attended Melville High School on the NSW north coast, was bullied relentlessly by a gang of youths for months before he tried to commit suicide last September, his family said.
His family found him in his bedroom after his brain had been deprived of oxygen for more than 20 minutes.
Although medics managed to restart his heart he was left severe with brain damage.
Dakoda's mother, Theresa, has spoken out about her son's plight in a bid to get authorities to take the issue of bullying more seriously.
In the lead up to Dakoda's suicide attempt, the teen was admitted to hospital with a head injury after his bullies threw rocks at him.
The same gang of youths confronted him on the school bus on the day he tried to end it all.
"I can't imagine what those kids (bullies) would have put him through to get him to that state," the Daily Telegraph quoted his mother as saying.
"I don't know how these mongrels ate away at my boy's strength."
Dakoda was gradually making progress and had learnt to communicate by blinking and shaking, she said.
* Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 131114 or SANE Helpline on 1800 18 SANE (7263).
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