Seven months after the tragic death of his nephew, a Saint-Eustache resident wants to raise awareness about suicide prevention among children.
“Pay attention to your children, especially those who do not speak, those who cannot express their feelings in words. “We never know what could be hidden behind it,” lamented Jean-François Leblanc-Latour, or “Leblat” on social networks.
At Sophie Durocher’s microphone, on QUB radio, he agreed to tell the story of his nephew Lucas Lafrenière-Latour, who tragically died last March at the age of 12.
“Lucas took his own life and never came. It was only after his death that we learned from snippets of conversations that he had been subjected to intimidation attempts. He never told us about it, we couldn’t do anything to help him,” said Lucas’ uncle.
Even today, there are still gray areas surrounding the teenager’s death. The grief is painful, almost insurmountable because there are no answers.
“This story will be a part of me for the rest of my life. “It is difficult to accept that I will never see him or have contact with him again,” Mr. Leblanc-Latour admitted.
Photo Jean-François Leblanc-Latour
Jean-François Leblanc-Latour and his nephew Lucas Lafrenière-Latour, then 2 years old.
In the days before his death, Lucas had confided his suicidal thoughts to a friend in his class. The child, also 12, didn’t know how to react. But how can we blame her?
“She didn’t have the tools necessary to understand Lucas’ words. But if she had told an adult, the flag could have been raised. It might have saved Lucas. At least we would have known something was wrong,” he lamented.
Photo Jean-François Leblanc-Latour
Lucas Lafrenière-Latour, 12 years old, shortly before his death.
With Lucas’ story he wants to raise awareness about suicide prevention in children, about the signs that are not always visible, and about the distress that can take different forms.
“This doesn’t just happen in dysfunctional families. It can happen to anyone at any time. We must be attentive,” said Jean-François Leblanc-Latour.