Family loses 16 year old son

There are no words to describe the love that a man or a woman has for their son and most certainly none to describe the pain that this family has of losing him at such a young age. My brother and friend, Tony & Melissa Leboeuf, lost their 16 year old son, Tj, on 8/24. Tj was a handsome, smart, fun loving young man with his whole life ahead of him. I spoke with Melissa on Monday night. She is heartbroken beyond belief. I can't even begin to imagine how she feels. She wants to share with the world some things about Tj. She says that anyone who knew Tj instantly fell in love with him because he was just loveable like that. He was and always will be beautiful and so very special to her and close to her heart. She went on to say that the world did not even deserve this child and I totally agree with her. She also shared with me that Tj loved to write in his journal and that that was his most favorite thing to do. Upon finding his journal she was very upset to find out that Tj was dealing with a great deal of bullying and that he was using his journal as an outlet for those feelings. No one, no matter their age, gender or nationality, should have to put up with any type of hateful treatment or disrespect for any reason. The struggle of dealing with this loss is only beginning as Tony is already fighting his own personal battles. Tony has been unable to work for the past 6 years due to a chronic skin disease called Hidradenitis suppurativa. As if the depression, stress and physical pain that comes along with this condition and losing a son isn't horrible enough to deal with he is also suffering from the last stage of cirrhosis of the liver. The only treatment available for Tony is a liver transplant. Because of this he is unable to assist with the cost of any funeral services or attend the services which are taking place in Alabama. Tony lives in Houma, Louisiana. I ask that each of you search within your heart and assist Melissa & Tony both in being able to provide a proper service for their son because that is the reason why we are all here. I personally have been a part of Tony's family since 1999 and they have always treated me with love as one of their own and done wonderful things for everyone around them. This family has already been through so much over the past few years and I feel like a time has come where they are worthy of receiving that same respect in return. I really don't feel like a price tag can be placed upon this family's lost loved one or current situation so I put $4,000.00 because I didn't know what a valid goal amount would be. I received a text from Melissa at 3am 8/28 and she will be using Serenity Funeral Home in Mobile, AL. I am currently planning a seperate memorial for Tony and his family because of extenuating circumstances that make it impossible for the families to mix. My ultimate goal is to help Melissa's family with funeral cost in Alabama and to make sure that Tony's family have an appropriate memorial as well. If any donations are left over I plan to donate the remaining funds to bullying.org (Everyone has the right to be respected and the responsibility to respect others). Please feel free to contact me personally if you have any questions. Thank you so much in advance to everyone that helps out. Thank you to both families for their support and trust and allowing us all to help them out. We are all here for a purpose and that is helping Tj get what he properly deserves. Family First! God bless you all. R.I.P. Tj <3 #teamtj

If there is anyone who would like to assist with the Memorial for Tj to celebrate his life in Houma, LA please contact me personally at [phone redacted]. 

Thank you so much to all of the people reaching out to offer your services. We do appreciate you.

(This is Melissa's favorite photo of Tj and that this is the last picture that he took. She wanted to share it with you all.)