Amanda Todd tribute honours life of bullied teen

Hundreds attended a celebration of life at the Red Robinson Theatre in Coquitlam, B.C., Sunday to remember Port Coquiltam teen Amanda Michelle Todd.

The 15-year-old girl committed suicide in October after suffering two years of cyberstalking, harassment and bullying.

It was an emotional day, as groups of young girls, parents and others gathered to share memories of Amanda.

Kelsey Cunningham, one of her friends, said Amanda had more supporters in life than she knew.

"Everybody loved her and a lot of people were there for her, but she just didn't realize it at the time," Cunningham said.

Norm Todd, Amanda's father, gave thanks for the outpouring of support. 

"Amanda has a new journey now that willl be brighter and stronger, and she will always be with us in so many other ways," he said.

Carol Todd, Amanda's mother, held back tears as she read a letter she wrote to her "princess snowflake."

Todd spoke of the kindness and compassion her daughter taught her.

Many of Amanda's friends spoke, describing her spunky personality, her love of shiny things, but also her desire to be known — a wish that came true, but only out of tragedy.

Teen's video went viral

Weeks before her death, Todd posted a poignant video to YouTube in which she detailed her plight with bullies and others who tried to manipulate her in person and online.

In the video, using a series of flash cards, Amanda told the story of how she was stalked online, and how a series of offline social betrayals left her feeling isolated.

After she died, the video gained worldwide recognition and registered more than six million hits, and copies of the video re-posted to YouTube have since gained at least 16 million additional hits.

The popularity of the video caused a groundswell of support for anti-bullying measures. 

Many of the mourners at Sunday's memorial wore pink bracelets to bring attention to the cause.

Mary Zilba, famous as one of the stars of the reality show The Real Housewives of Vancouver, was one of a number of mothers who attended the memorial who didn't know Amanda in life, but were touched — and angered — by her story all the same.

"Social media has gone over the top. I mean, we need to start making sure we're monitoring our children," she said.

Outside the theatre, yet another mother expressed the anger she felt at what happened to the Todd family.

"A lot of people should be held accountable for it. They definitely should make bullying a criminal offense. These kids need to know they can't do this without a consequence," the woman said.

The celebration of life was held nine days before what would have been Amanda's 16th birthday.