It sounds like the climactic moments of an old movie. The “little guy” is minding his own business as he walks through the middle school hallway, only to bump into every 12-year-old’s worst nightmare—the school bully. With a small bump, he’s suddenly picked up and laid-out on the ground, praying that a teacher will poke their head out of a classroom and save him.
For Henry Sembdner, this illustration of a middle school bully became a traumatizing reality on Friday.
Henry Sembdner
The 12-year-old from South Elgin, Illinois, was severely injured after bumping into a classmate on Friday, then being “slammed to the ground” at Kenyon Woods Middle School.
Henry suffered facial fractures and brain injuries following the attack. He spent the majority of the weekend in an induced coma.
Karen DeWilde Sembdner
According to school officials, the student accused of beating Henry was taken into custody following the attack.
Henry, who is a true Chicago Cubs fan, woke up to a tweet from ace first baseman Anthony Rizzo on Monday.
“Heard you are a big Cubs fan Henry. When you are better I have a couple tickets and BP (batting practice) passes waiting for you at Wrigley. #StayStrong.”
He followed with another one to all of those supporting Henry during this time:
“Heard Henry’s school will be wearing Cubs gear tom to show their support. Wear ur gear & I’ll RT pics. Let’s all show our support. #StayStrong.”
On top of Rizzo’s kind words, the community has rallied around Henry to support the little fighter who was certainly too sweet to deserve a beating of this manner.
“I couldn’t even think straight. I was like, ‘I cannot believe that this happened to my friend,'” said student Alyssa Anderson. “I was like, ‘Oh, no. He’s just so sweet. He would do this for anyone else, and he’s just the sweetest kid ever,” she added, of the school’s decision to wear Cubs gear.
“I’m really sad because I have known him since I was a little kid. It is heartbreaking for me,” said Madison Jarosch, another friend of Henry’s.
Parents alike were in shock.
“I can’t imagine what his mother is going through,” said Jennifer Best. “As a mom, I just every single night when I put my kids to bed I’m just thankful and grateful that it’s not my child in that hospital bed.”
A prayer vigil was held for Henry this past weekend at Fox Meadow Park in South Elgin, and about 200 were in attendance.
“We always try to have each other’s backs. We try to parent everybody’s kids,” said the organizer of the event, Nicole Atman. “Everybody comes together. There is a lot of faith in this community.”
Two GoFundMe accounts have also been set up to help pay for Henry’s medical bills. They’ve collected more than $38,000 combined.
