After working with Evan on his costume all day, mum Jill Struckman received a heart-breaking phone call from his school. However, the brave lad went on to defy his bullies
A mum was left distraught after finding out her 10-year-old son was bullied at a school Halloween party for his Iron Man costume.
Before dropping her son Evan off at the party, Jill Struckman had shared a snap of him dressed as Tony Stark – portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. in the Marvel films.
The Missouri boy looked happy as he donned the character’s signature waistcoat and glasses along with a pencilled beard.
However, Jill received a heart-breaking phone call just 20 minutes after the drop-off.
“They said, ‘We have Evan here and he’s really, really upset’. My heart just dropped.”
After she had spoken with Evan on the phone she went to pick him up and found upon her arrival that he had already scrubbed off his Tony Stark makeup.
According to TODAY parents reports, Evan kept apologising for having removed the makeup whilst in the car.
“He kept saying, ‘we worked so hard on it’. He was really thinking about how I would feel, which tells you a lot about him,” Jill said.
Evan’s day had been a rollercoaster – he had practically sprinted to the bus that morning but was now feeling embarrassed and defeated.
Over a frappucino with his mum, he revealed that some kids told him he looked stupid and everyone was going to make fun of him.
Jill said Evan loves getting dressed up and had been especially excited that day.
“It was hard to get his makeup on straight because he was smiling so much,” she said.
After their drink and a chat, Jill asked Evan if he wanted to head back to the party and he nodded.
Jill said he was a “little scared” walking back into school after she redid his makeup, but ended up having a great rest of the day.
He was “proud of himself”, she said, in what was “absolutely a defining moment in his life”.
Jill went on: “If he hadn’t gone back, it would have broken his spirit.”
Her post on Facebook about the bullying, and Evan’s bravery, has been shared thousands of times and now Evan has fans all over the world.
“Thanks for all the sweet words (and offers to beat up 10-year-olds) lol,” she wrote in one update.
“I do appreciate you all.”
