Leon Bennett will be 23 forever. Leon was taken by gun violence on June 24, 2018. My life changed forever that night, after that phone call. Losing a child is probably the worst pain anyone could go through in their entire life. It’s nothing like losing a loved one — it’s literally like losing a piece of yourself.
Leon was a brother to three siblings: He had two brothers and one sister. Leon also left behind his two children, Lukas, who was 2 at the time, and Liam who was just 6 months at the time. My youngest son had just left for boot camp six days prior to us losing my son. He had to come home from boot camp, say goodbye to his brother, go back and complete boot camp and then be stationed in Oklahoma, away from us. My oldest son went through a huge bout of depression, as did I. My fiancé endured this with me and kept my head afloat the best he could. My daughter stayed strong and tough — without her, I don’t know where I’d be today. Losing my son will impact us forever.