Shannon Suttle, 36, stands in the parking lot of a hospital in Zebulon, N.C. His stepson, Michael Morones, just underwent an emergency tracheotomy. The procedure went well: "He's resting now. We got to see him right after the surgery," Suttle says.
It's good news he and his family could use.
Last week, Michael tried to kill himself by hanging, allegedly after enduring months of bullying at school, in part because of his passion for the show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. He's alive but suffering from severe brain damage, unconscious and unable to breathe without assistance. Doctors predict he'll be blind if he ever wakes up.
Michael is 11 years old.
The online "brony" community — a name typically given to male fans of the My Little Pony franchise — has responded en masse. Complete stranger Eileen Montgomery established a GoFundMe recovery initiative from her home in England Jan. 28 to help settle Michael's medical bills. It has since raised more than $48,000 at the time of writing.
Suttle's family also reached out to brony site Equestria Daily for help in raising funds.
He's humbled by the amount of support, both financially and emotionally, the family has received so far. As Michael continues to battle for his life, it's one less thing that weights on them.
See also: For Anybody Hurting: A YouTube Video Confronts Darkness
Suttle married his wife Tiffany last year. The family has a total of four kids: Michael, 11, Angel, 13, Xavier, 5, from Tiffany's previous marriage, and Ethan, 9, Suttle's biological son.
That night, around 8:16 p.m., Suttle was still out when his wife texted: "Hope your night's better than mine."
Concerned, he texted back and asked what was wrong. The boys were arguing, she said. It was nothing unusual — in a house with one TV, one tablet, one Xbox and four kids, minor fights were common. Just boys being boys, brothers being brothers.

Image: Shannon Suttle
Michael had seemed especially irritable that night, though. He'd gone to bed around 8 p.m., then come out of his room and, oddly, asked for a pencil sharpener.
"She said we didn't have one. Then he asked for a pair of scissors. She asked him to wait until the morning, but he kept getting upset," Suttle recalls Tiffany saying.
"He kept saying, 'I need this tonight. I need to do this tonight.'"
He eventually went back to his room and slammed his door. Twenty minutes after texting Suttle, his wife checked in on Michael to see if he had calmed down. She found him attempting to hang himself.
"She picked him up and called me right away, but she was so hysteric I couldn't understand what she was saying," Suttle says.
"Then my stepson Angel picked up the phone and said, 'Michael tried to kill himself — come home now.' I've never driven so fast in my life."
Michael fell in love with My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic after his uncle introduced him to the show a few years back. His favorite character is hyperactive horse, Pinkie Pie.
"He has ADHD. He's always dancing around, smiling," Suttle says. "He really related to Pinkie Pie because of her energy."

Video: YouTube, Pinkie Pie

Michael wasn't embarrassed about his love for the show — at least, not at first. He happily owns and would wear Pinkie Pie-themed t-shirts, bracelets and dog tags to school. After awhile, classmates started to notice.

"He talked to his mom on a number of occasions about people telling him he was 'gay' for liking the show," Suttle says.

He felt ashamed — confused, mostly. Suttle and his wife reassured him he had no reason to hide what he loved. From what they could tell, he always bounced back from any negative feelings. Whenever kids would bully him, Suttle says, he'd shake it off almost immediately and resume to laughing, high-fiving — even reading versus from his pocket Bible.

His high-energy and optimism masked whatever dark thoughts Michael evidently hid deep down.

Teachers at the school had no idea, either. "His personality, his way of looking at the world ... he's just not the type of kid who'd let people know he was being bullied," Suttle says.

The brony fan base has been ridiculed since male fans of the show — usually adults — began expressing their love for it several years ago. One man even claims he was fired from his job after it was revealed he was a fan of the show.

The community has responded over the years, with a PR campaign and documentary supporting the subculture. For the most part, though, the social stigma remains.

Video: YouTube, Everfree Network

Eileen Montgomery, the GoFundMe campaign creator, did not respond to requests for comment.

Hasbro, which owns the My Little Pony franchise, offered the following statement:

We are deeply saddened to hear the tragic news about Michael Morones. We’re honored to know that he is a passionate fan of My Little Pony and our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family during this extremely difficult time.

Supporters have taken to the GoFundMe page in an outpour of support and prayers:

Suttle has to work tonight. By day, he's a performer in a stage-combat comedy group called the Shadow Players. He also works as a trivia host. Tonight, given his trivia team's busy schedules, he has to host a few games.

"I don't think I'm ready to go out in public and entertain right now," he says. "It's going to be hard to be professional and funny with all this happening."

Michael's condition is critical. Most daunting is the fact that it's still unclear when, or if, he'll wake up at all. But Suttle isn't angry. The only thing going through his mind right now, tonight, tomorrow, is Michael's recovery.

"We are not mad at the children responsible for this. We don't want to name anyone or focus on the vengeance side of things," he says. "All we can hope is that out of this tragedy can come a miracle. It's all about Michael."

Learn more about the recovery fund here.

Suicide is preventable. Contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for immediate help: 1-800-273-TALK (8255). If you live outside of the U.S., you can find the appropriate resources here.

Video: YouTube, Pinkie Pie
Michael wasn't embarrassed about his love for the show — at least, not at first. He happily owns and would wear Pinkie Pie-themed t-shirts, bracelets and dog tags to school. After awhile, classmates started to notice.
"He talked to his mom on a number of occasions about people telling him he was 'gay' for liking the show," Suttle says.
He felt ashamed — confused, mostly. Suttle and his wife reassured him he had no reason to hide what he loved. From what they could tell, he always bounced back from any negative feelings. Whenever kids would bully him, Suttle says, he'd shake it off almost immediately and resume to laughing, high-fiving — even reading versus from his pocket Bible.
His high-energy and optimism masked whatever dark thoughts Michael evidently hid deep down.
Teachers at the school had no idea, either. "His personality, his way of looking at the world ... he's just not the type of kid who'd let people know he was being bullied," Suttle says.
The brony fan base has been ridiculed since male fans of the show — usually adults — began expressing their love for it several years ago. One man even claims he was fired from his job after it was revealed he was a fan of the show.
The community has responded over the years, with a PR campaign and documentary supporting the subculture. For the most part, though, the social stigma remains.

Video: YouTube, Everfree Network

Eileen Montgomery, the GoFundMe campaign creator, did not respond to requests for comment.

Hasbro, which owns the My Little Pony franchise, offered the following statement:

We are deeply saddened to hear the tragic news about Michael Morones. We’re honored to know that he is a passionate fan of My Little Pony and our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family during this extremely difficult time.

Supporters have taken to the GoFundMe page in an outpour of support and prayers:

Suttle has to work tonight. By day, he's a performer in a stage-combat comedy group called the Shadow Players. He also works as a trivia host. Tonight, given his trivia team's busy schedules, he has to host a few games.

"I don't think I'm ready to go out in public and entertain right now," he says. "It's going to be hard to be professional and funny with all this happening."

Michael's condition is critical. Most daunting is the fact that it's still unclear when, or if, he'll wake up at all. But Suttle isn't angry. The only thing going through his mind right now, tonight, tomorrow, is Michael's recovery.

"We are not mad at the children responsible for this. We don't want to name anyone or focus on the vengeance side of things," he says. "All we can hope is that out of this tragedy can come a miracle. It's all about Michael."

Learn more about the recovery fund here.

Suicide is preventable. Contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for immediate help: 1-800-273-TALK (8255). If you live outside of the U.S., you can find the appropriate resources here.

Video: YouTube, Everfree Network
Eileen Montgomery, the GoFundMe campaign creator, did not respond to requests for comment.
Hasbro, which owns the My Little Pony franchise, offered the following statement:
We are deeply saddened to hear the tragic news about Michael Morones. We’re honored to know that he is a passionate fan of My Little Pony and our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family during this extremely difficult time.
Supporters have taken to the GoFundMe page in an outpour of support and prayers:



Suttle has to work tonight. By day, he's a performer in a stage-combat comedy group called the Shadow Players. He also works as a trivia host. Tonight, given his trivia team's busy schedules, he has to host a few games.
"I don't think I'm ready to go out in public and entertain right now," he says. "It's going to be hard to be professional and funny with all this happening."
Michael's condition is critical. Most daunting is the fact that it's still unclear when, or if, he'll wake up at all. But Suttle isn't angry. The only thing going through his mind right now, tonight, tomorrow, is Michael's recovery.
"We are not mad at the children responsible for this. We don't want to name anyone or focus on the vengeance side of things," he says. "All we can hope is that out of this tragedy can come a miracle. It's all about Michael."
Learn more about the recovery fund here.
Suicide is preventable. Contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for immediate help: 1-800-273-TALK (8255). If you live outside of the U.S., you can find the appropriate resources here.