When a classmate posted on social media calling her a "fat whale," this brave teen turned that act of cyberbullying into an online effort to save real whales.

Dannie McMillan, who goes by Dee, discovered a Twitter account called "Dee the fat whale" featuring a picture of her with a whale over her face.

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On the verge of tears, she reached out to her role model, the plus-size model Laura Lee. When Dee remarked that she probably should make a t-shirt to show the bullies hadn't gotten to her, Laura cheered the idea as a way to turn the experience into something good.

Dee set up an online page selling custom t-shirts exclaiming "Dee the Fat Whale Saves the Whales", along with a GoFundMe page to raise money for the California-based Save the Whales.

Lee promoted the campaign among her 25,000 Facebook followers, with a message:  "So happy she took this negative act and turned it into something Amazing! Love not hate! Keep Shining Mama!"

In a little over two weeks, Dee's raised more than $2,000 for Save the Whales - and the Twitter account mocking the teen has been taken down.

I don't do well with Bullying, and when this young beautiful little mama messaged me to tell me what had happened to her...

Posted by Laura Lee - Model on Sunday, February 28, 2016

I don't do well with Bullying, and when this young beautiful little mama messaged me to tell me what had happened to her...

Dee says the whole experience, and working with Lee, has inspired her beyond the damage done by the cyber-bullying.

"She's like my size and she's beautiful," Dee says of Lee. "Just because I'm big doesn't mean I can't be beautiful."

She's already done a beautiful job of turning a cheap insult into thousands of dollars to help endangered and threatened animals.

(WATCH the video from KCEN News below) - Photos: Booster; KCEN

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