Man Hears Doorbell Ring, Sees Desperate Boy on His Porch Asking: ‘Do You Have Any Kids?’

• A little boy who was bullied in school and in desperate search of friends sought solace with a neighbor.
• The boy went up to his neighbor’s door, knocked, and asked if there were any kids around the area he knew of or if he had any children that he could be friends with.
• The encounter went viral on TikTok, and the stranger did something that changed the boy’s life forever.

An 11-year-old boy from Texas named Shayden Walker has been struggling to make and keep friends. According to his mother, Krishna Patterson, Walker is also on the autism spectrum and has oppositional defiant disorder, as well as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), all factors of which his doting mother says predisposed the poor boy to being severely bullied at school.

Patterson described what her son went through as a result of his disorders, which inhibit him from successfully socializing with other children, a dilemma that she said broke her heart. She explained that Walker stims (the repetition of body movements or actions) frequently, makes noises that many make fun of him for, and flaps his arms.

Due to his ongoing stims, Patterson heartbreakingly revealed that, at times, her son would force himself not to give in to his symptoms in an effort to stop getting made fun of. Walker gave an account of what he went through as a result of his conditions:

“What my life was like before was kids were manipulating me and telling me they would be my friend, but when they would ask me to do something horrible, I don’t feel like they’re actually my friend.”

The amount of cruelty Walker endured has been immense. At one point, his torment got so bad that his mom even divulged:

“My kid, he’s been hospitalized because the bullying was so bad, and he felt so isolated.”

One day last week, after struggling to find friends, a red-headed, “Jaws” t-shirt-wearing Walker decided to look around his residential area to see if he could find anybody willing to be his friend. On his quest, he went up to a house that belonged to a resident named Brennan Ray and asked for his help.

The good-natured boy approached Ray’s front door and started conversing with the man through the closed door. Footage from the neighbor’s doorbell camera showed Walker looking forlorn as he humbly asked Ray if he knew of any kids in his age group around the area that he could be friends with. Walker pleaded:

“I need some friends really bad… Do you have any kids?”

Ray proceeded to tell Walker that if he walked to the house that was on his right, he would find some kids he could play with. However, Walker then informed Ray that the kids he was referencing were the very same kids that were bullying him severely.

The GoFundMe account raised over $37,000 for both Walker and his family before Patterson decided to close the donations on Friday.

When the sweet boy asked whether or not Ray had any children of his own that he could make friends with, Ray responded that he only had a two-year-old baby. Desperate to find some friends, Walker then revealed that he adores two-year-olds and explained how he had a sister the same age he enjoyed playing with.

After this exchange, Ray asked Walker for his name, which he gave him, right before he politely said his goodbyes and left the front of the house. Feeling sorry for the boy, Ray decided to be a good samaritan and see how he could help Walker.

The footage captured by the doorbell cam was posted to TikTok, which has since garnered over 66 million views, and viewers were disheartened by what they saw. Many commented about their hopes for Walker to find real friends soon and wished they could give him hugs to comfort him Similarly, Ray’s TikTok caption read:

“It takes 2 seconds to make someone’s day; you never know what people are going through until you get a chance to talk to them. This young man is well-mannered, kind, and brave. So TikTok, can we help Shayden make some friends?”

While speaking to the Daily Mail about the encounter, Ray commented on how sorry he felt for Walker. The neighbor stated:

“I could hear the innocence and vulnerability in his voice. All I knew [was] that I wanted to help the kid.”

Taking his charitable actions to the next level, Ray and his wife committed to starting a GoFundMe page in Walker’s honor. Since he had been struggling to make friends, the page was created to show the little boy that he had people who cared about him, to show that he had friends. The funds collected were for Walker to get himself fun things he could enjoy, like amusement park tickets, gaming consoles, and school clothes.

The GoFundMe account raised over $37,000 for both Walker and his family before Patterson decided to close the donations on Friday. Since Ray and his wife’s efforts to help Walker happened, the boy’s stepfather shared that he has been a completely different kid and changed positively. Walker personally thanked everyone who contributed to making him feel better:

“Y’all have touched my heart so much. It’s just literally to the point where I want to cry.”

As far as what the humble little boy plans to spend the money on, Walker detailed that he will donate a considerable amount to charity and get new items for the upcoming school year. Though they are elated and touched by the influx of monetary donations they have received, Walker’s mama bear makes it known that it isn’t about the money for them.

It is more about the importance of raising awareness of the issue of bullying and teaching people to be kind to everyone. Patterson hopes that Walker’s story will inspire other children. Ray’s final words on the matter are as follows:

“It just takes one person, especially if you’re a popular kid, people look up to you if you can be the one to stand out and help somebody else, set that trend, make that the trend to be set to not be a bully.”

As far as the message that Walker wants people to take away from his story, the bullied boy wants people to take a moment and think about how they would feel to be bullied.

A benefit bike run to advocate for putting a stop to bullying is being held this Sunday at The Handle Bar in Amarillo.