Denver mom Leia Pierce is memorializing her 9-year-old son, Jamel Myles, on Facebook, just days after she lost him to suicide.
Myles took his life Thursday, just days after entering the fourth grade. After coming out to his mother this summer, Myles told his classmates he was gay last week. It's not known exactly why Pierce died, but his older sister told Pierce that some of his classmates told him "to kill himself."
On Facebook, Pierce expressed her grief.
As she told a Denver television station, Pierce wants an end to bullying and is hoping parents and school administrators will be held responsible for such behavior.
Pierce also said her mother, Myles's grandmother, is planning a funeral and candlelight vigil for him.
Myles's family launched a modest GoFundMe page -- seeking only $2,000 -- to pay for the memorial services. The page's description reads as follows:
"We are wanting to make sure, that Jamel is heard.
He chose to love others, He chose to treat everyone equal.
He chose to live life.
I want you to speak on treating each other with kindness and compassion, We want justice for Jamel, the only way to get that is to touch peoples hearts, and tell them if we love more it will be harder to hate. When you speak of Jamel speak with the same compassion he had. He wanted everyone to feel loved cause His mommy taught all her kids we are all the same and Jamel treated people as equals because he was taught love.
Jamel is going to make this change happen, even though he is no longer with us.
The funds will be used to help the family in the coming months,
with funeral cost, any money left over will go to a celebration of life for Jamel, that will be determined at a later date.
We have future plans, but are unable to discuss at this time.
Thank you
Jamel's grandmother as been handling all of the detail to this point.
If you need to reach her please feel free, she said she would be willing to help out n any way she can."
