Roommates, Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade lended a helping hand to the mother of Nigel Shelby over the weekend. Sadly, Nigel took his own life almost two weeks ago after he was bullied for his sexuality.
According to tmz, Gab and Dwyane have joined forces with #Ludacris and #JanelleMonae to help cover the funeral arrangements for Nigel. He was 15 when he passed away.
The donations started reportedly started rolling in after the owner of Atlanta’s ‘Slutty Vegan’ restaurant, and #LenaWaithe felt compelled to help the family. They then reached out to some of their famous friends to pitch in as well.
Nigel’s mother had said he suffered from depression, and struggled with his identity. She said he felt misunderstood and the bullies at his school were ruthless.
“We live in a world where now, everybody is different,” she said. “So to make someone feel less than because they are different, it’s not OK.”
Although the amount of money raised was not disclosed, sources close to TMZ say the donations covered the expense of Nigel’s tombstone, funeral service and funds to help Nigel’s mother.
She hopes her son’s passing will bring awareness to the harmful effects of bullying.
“I definitely want to bring awareness to the bullying because when kids are struggling with their own identity, they are going through enough already,” she said. “If you have other kids making them feel bad about themselves, it has en even bigger impact than if they weren’t struggling with those things.”
Gabrielle and Dwyane hope to set an example for other families and peers who have loved ones who are different, and work to ensure there is one less child who takes their own life because of it.
