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'Still with you': Parents find note from 6-year-old son who died

By Adam Carlson
Sept 30, 2015

As they prepared to bury their 6-year-old son, a Pike County couple said they discovered a note from him at home that began, "Still with you. Thank you mom and dad."

Mom Amber Shoemake first shared the note on Monday on a Facebook page set up in support of her son, Leland, who died Friday of an amoebic infection, according to Channel 2 Action News.

Amber said in her post that her son's message was discovered on the living room table as she and her husband were picking out clothes for his burial.

"We have no idea when he wrote it," she said, "but you can tell he was always a special child."

This is Amber. This will be my only post on here for awhile. I was over protective of Leland and tried my best to keep...

Posted by Prayers for Leland on Monday, September 28, 2015

"We were in shock and broke down as soon as we saw it," Amber told ABC News. "He was amazing in life and still is after his passing. He touched everyone he met and we are amazed at how many lives he's touched since he left us."

Leland was admitted to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston in mid-September and was sick for almost a month, according to Channel 2 Action News. It's unclear how he was infected.

"He loved his brother and his family so much. He was the life of every party. His smile could light up a city," Amber said in her Facebook post. "He was the smartest, most caring, loving little boy there ever was."

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Adam Carlson

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