Even though Spencer West is small in stature, his message is behemoth.

Stand up against bullying.

He is.

And it's no easy task.

With a backdrop featuring the Liberace quote "Nobody will believe in you unless you believe in yourself," West, a motivational speaker who recently spoke at the Me to We conference, was at Sardis secondary last Friday standing up – on his hands – encouraging the students to ban bullying from their school.

He knows the effects of bullying firsthand.

West has no legs. His legs were amputated just below the pelvis when he was five years old due to a genetic disease he was born with. And even though he didn't have the choice to keep his legs around, the kids in his school didn't care.

"I considered myself to be a normal kid, but everybody else made me feel different," he said. "They pointed and whispered, asked where my legs were, said that I looked crazy ...

they saw me as a boy with no legs and not as a person."

As he got older, the pointing and whispers turned into hurtful taunts and name calling.

Now, West could have hid himself away at home, but that just wasn't his style.

All his life he had been told he couldn't do things, that he probably wouldn't be a functioning part of society, that his life was basically over before it even began, that there was no hope for him, just because he had no legs. And every day he proved the naysayers wrong.

He could sit up by himself. He could walk by himself, using his hands. He was able to get a job. He was able to get a license, and drive a car. In high school, he became a valued member of the cheerleading squad. And in the face of bullying, he used humour to get him through.

"Without determination, I probably wouldn't be standing by myself today," he said. "Well, standing on my hands that is."

Midway through the speech, West asked the students if they knew who Matthew Shepard was. A picture of a young man, with blonde hair and chiseled facial features was posted on the projection screen behind him. Aside from a few whispers and nods, mostly from the teachers in the room, the teenaged crowd grew silent. Another picture was posted, this time of a fence with flowers all around.

Ten years ago, Matthew Shepard was beaten to death and tied to that fence, simply for being gay.

"Bullying is definitely a part of schools across North America," said West. "And it's not just verbal anymore, it's physical. It perpetuates hate and can eventually lead to death.

"Be the one," he said. "We have the opportunity to be the one to end hate. You have the ability to stand up and be the one, to make the change, to make sure bullying doesn't happen to anyone else.

"If you care, stand up."

Every Sardis secondary student in that gymnasium stood up.

kbartel@theprogress.com