Memorial balloon release to honor one young boy’s life

ZANESVILLE, Ohio- A memorial balloon release was held on Tuesday to honor a 12-year-old who lost his life.

LifeWay Church, in Zanesville, created the memorial balloon release to honor the life of Coby Bleakney and his family. Both his parents, Chad and Tammy Bleakney, said the community support has been overwhelming during this tough time.

“Today (March 27th) was just remarkable, knowing that these many people cared about our son. The only (thing) I wish I would of know is that he would of known that. My biggest focus now is Coby, he’s not coming home. We know that, but we want to bring emphasis on bullying and suicide prevention,” said Tammy.

Tammy said her son’s life mattered and all bullying needs to end. She said her life mission is to prevent anyone from losing a child like she had to.

“He had a purpose and his voice has not stopped. And if we can keep one other child from being bullied or pushed to the brink of suicide. There are too many young kids taking their lives. I know a couple of them has been because of bullying some (of the suicides) many not have been but, these kids need an outlet to talk to somebody. So we are going to be that outlet,” said Tammy.

If you would like to donate in memory of Coby and other suicide victims, go to mccf.org