MACOMB TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — A Macomb Township couple is mourning the loss of their son who died last month after coming down with parainfluenza.
Anthony DeBord was just 12 years old, but his parents say he touched a lot of lives.
The family started a GoFundMe account, which has garnered over $140,000 already.
Anthony had a sort of pizzazz that made him infectious. At just 12 years old, mom Carla says he understood the importance of telling people how he felt.
"I miss the I love yous," Carla DeBord said. "He never wasted a moment to say it — ever."
Anthony got sick at the end of October with the virus. There is no vaccine for parainfluenza.
His dad Tyler says he was treated at an urgent care. Anthony had asthma, so they sent him home with an inhaler and steroids. Things went south shortly after arriving home.
"He looked at me and said he couldn't breathe and 10 seconds later, he was on the floor and non-responsive," Tyler Debord said.
Anthony was rushed to the hospital. Carla DeBord says his heart stopped for 20 minutes in the ambulance. During that time, his brain lost oxygen and began to swell.
He was pronounced brain dead on Nov. 4 but miraculously, nearly every vital organ below his neck was intact.
Carla and Tyler Debord decided to donate.
"There were seven recipients that were saved in different ways," Carla DeBord said. "We hope one day to meet them because someone has his heart."
Carla Debord says it's her twins, Taylor and Gabriel, that get her out of bed. One of them is hoping a letter to Santa Claus can change her reality
"She asked for just two things: her brother to come back and a camera," Carla DeBord said.
He may be physically gone, but Anthony's presence is still felt in his happy places including on the field at baseball practice.
"He's always there," said Steve Natushko, Anthony's baseball coach. "He is reminding me at night to go tell my kids that I love them."
Natushko wasn't just Anthony's coach, he was also one of the DeBord's main supporters.
Due to Anthony's love for sports, Natushko started a movement called "Bats for Anthony."
Natushko says Anthony has never hesitated before “going to bat” for someone in need. This was the community's chance to return the kindness.
They asked the community to take a moment to place a baseball bat, glove or ball on their porch to honor Anthony.
The outpouring of love from the community is what's keeping this family together.
"All the thoughtful messages, the prayers, everything has just meant the world to us and we just want to say thank you," Carla DeBord said.
Anthony's parents say their son was a giver and that will continue.
While the GoFundMe money will help with funeral and hospital expenses, some of it will also go to good causes. The DeBords plan to set up a scholarship funds for student's who share Anthony's outstanding qualities. They also want to start a nonprofit called "Anthony's Way."
"Do you feel like he is proud of you," 7 Action News asked the DeBord parents.
"I hope so, I think so, but he makes me want to be a better person every day," Carla Debord said tearfully.
Anthony's school Ebeling Elementary is also planning to honor him with a memorial after winter break.
