EXCLUSIVE
Troubled schoolgirl Ella Catley-Crawford, 12, has donated her vital organs to save others after vicious online bullies drove her to her death.
Her heartbroken mother Julie Crawford, 55, from Manly in Brisbane, made the painful decision to withdraw her daughter’s life support on Saturday.
Ella had been in a coma since attempting suicide six days earlier when Mrs Crawford found her daughter’s apparently lifeless body.
The tragedy came after months of relentless bullying on Snapchat following a callous catfishing incident when she joined a new elite private girls’ school.
But in the aftermath of her death, Ella’s kidneys and liver have all now been linked to recipients through Donate Life, to give new hope to others.
Mrs. Crawford consented to the organ donations, which included her heart tissue, after a conversation she had with her daughter years earlier.
“It’s actually something I’ve talked to Ella about,” she told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday.
Troubled schoolgirl Ella Catley-Crawford, 12, (pictured with her mother Julie) has donated her vital organs to save others after vicious online bullies drove her to her death
“When I was filling out my own forms to become a donor, she asked me about it and she understood and agreed with what it meant to do that for others.”
The family hopes their actions will be a “testament to her compassionate spirit.”
Ella’s torment began when she won an academic scholarship to a prestigious girls’ school in Brisbane, which she attended in February, but her family has asked not to be identified.
“She was both excited and nervous about going to high school because she didn’t know anyone there,” Ms Crawford told Daily Mail Australia.
‘At first she seemed to be making new friends and enjoying her new school, but after a few weeks I noticed she was on the phone a lot more.
“It was never out of her control.”
Mrs Crawford had given Ella her old phone for Christmas to keep her entertained on the bus to and from school, but banned her from using apps such as Tiktok and Snapchat.
The talented Ella Catley-Crawford won an academic scholarship for high school
But she soon saw that her daughter was glued to the small screen.
“At first I thought she was just texting her new friends,” she said. “I knew they had a Year Seven group chat, but it was Snapchat.
‘I had her remove it straight away, even though she told me she was safe.
“I don’t know how, but she created another account and hid it from me.”
Despite Mrs Crawford’s repeated attempts to stamp it out, the bullying quickly escalated, regularly leaving her daughter in tears.
Then in March, Ms Crawford, an HR manager, received a call from the school claiming concerns had been raised that Ella, who was 11 at the time, had bullied other pupils online.
“I told them, ‘I don’t think so,’ that they were wrong and they investigated further,” she said.
Days later, three seventh-grade girls were suspended for bullying Ella online.
Julie Crawford regularly found Ella in tears over messages she received, but the concerned mother couldn’t see them as the app automatically deleted messages
Julie Crawford, 55, says she knew her only child was suffering but was powerless to stop it, despite trying everything to protect her daughter
The school never gave Ms. Crawford the details of their findings, but the damage had been done, her mother said.
“I don’t know exactly what it was all about,” she added.
‘People had pretended to be people they weren’t, a girl pretended to be a boy and messages Ella sent to them were shared with others.
“Friends started to pull away from her and she wasn’t invited to a birthday party, with some kids saying they needed a break, that it was too much, that she was too much.”
Towards the end of the first term in April, Ms Crawford decided she had had enough and moved her “bright and strong-willed” daughter to another school.
But although Ella was immediately happier and made new friends, she couldn’t escape the online abuse that followed her.
“The new school was great, but the bullies still reached her through the apps,” the mother said.
‘Ella was so down that I took her to the doctors and she was diagnosed with depression and was on medication.
“But I made sure I was always there and that we had things to do to keep her occupied.”
Mrs. Crawford says that when her daughter was distracted by things to look forward to, her “best friend and love of her life” was her former happy self.
But once she left her phone behind, things quickly changed.
“Some days during the holidays she wouldn’t get out of bed,” her mother said.
“I just hoped it wouldn’t get worse, but I never expected her to commit suicide.”
Julie Crawford found Ella apparently lifeless on Sunday, October 27, and began CPR while she waited for paramedics
Ella was on a ventilator for a week before losing her fight on Sunday
Mrs Crawford found her daughter apparently lifeless on Sunday, October 27, and began CPR while she waited for paramedics.
Ella was rushed to Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane and was on a ventilator for a week before doctors confirmed she had no brain activity.
Queensland Police have seized Ella’s phone and iPad and are now investigating her death.
Her shattered mother is heartbroken and says that without Ella she has nothing left, so she will now dedicate herself to raising awareness in the hope that she can help others.
She has one GoFundMe to help pay for funeral costs, take time off to grieve and raise awareness.
“Bullying on social media is real,” the fundraising appeal adds.
‘If you ask if we are angry: yes, we are. If you ask if we are sad: absolutely. And if you’re asking if the system failed her: it did.
“This catastrophic reality has changed our family’s history forever.
‘Social media and online presence pose real dangers, and despite our best efforts to protect our children, technology can become an addictive lifeline, especially if they feel isolated.’
If you or someone you know needs support, please contact Lifeline Australia 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue 1300 22 46 36.