The wife of a larger than life father who was loved across East Lothian for his kind and humorous nature is trying to raise enough money for his funeral so that his four daughters can give their father “the send off he deserves.”
Lee Jameison, more commonly known as Biggie, was a six foot six “gentle giant” who would bring laughter into every room entered.
But the 35-year-old tragically lost his life when he died in his sleep just weeks after being diagnosed with sleep apnoea.
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The father of four was given the diagnosis on January 9 2023 but sadly passed away at home in bed on January 29. Wife Yvonne McIntyre, 41, met Biggie 18 years ago after being introduced through mutual friends.
She says that she is devastated at the loss of her best friend and has pleaded with anyone suffering from sleep apnoea to go to follow up appointments and wear their sleep masks as the condition can be fatal.
“We met around 18-years-ago after being introduced by friends and would have been together for 16 years in May," she said.
“The post mortem has not come back yet but we believe that he went into a deep sleep and stopped breathing due to the sleep apnoea. He was only diagnosed with the condition on January 9 but he did not like hearing bad news so he did not go back for a follow up.
“I did not know that sleep apnoea could be fatal. I hope that anyone reading this will take the condition seriously.”
Unfortunately Lee had not yet been prescribed a sleep mask to wear at night due to being diagnosed so close to his death.
His daughters Nadia 19, twins Eve and Lea, 13, and 12-year-old Aly want to pay tribute to their father by giving him the burial that he wanted.
But this is proving to be more expensive than the family could ever have imagined, with a burial plot and basic service costing around £6,500 - an amount the family cannot afford on their own.
Biggie was known as a gentle giant by those whose lives he touched - both in Tranent where he went to school and in his home town of Haddington.
Yvonne says that he was loved by so many people and that the family are extremely grateful for the support they have received since his passing.
She added: “He was a loving partner and a wind up merchant. He had a great sense of humour and always knew how to make me and the kids laugh.
“Not only was he an amazing father but he was also a brilliant brother and uncle. Everyone knew how good his heart was and he will be so missed.
“He was our Biggie and a gentle giant. He had nicknames for all of us and I remember our family holidays where he would love taking us camping or going on caravan holidays.
“Biggie loved fishing and although I was bored senseless, I enjoyed the time we spent together. He also loved the water and would take the bairns swimming all the time at the wee pond with the waterfall in Haddington.
“I used to always joke that he was my big toy boy.”
Yvonne described him as her soul mate and that he meant absolutely everything to her - the loss is unquantifiable for the large family.
Biggie’s niece, Alanna Neil, 30, shared the sentiment of what the larger than life character meant to everyone that knew him.
She has organised the fundraiser for his send off as she wants to ensure that his daughters do not have to be told that money is a concern when getting to say goodbye to their dad.
She said: “He meant everything to me and we were always together. We are a very close family. Some families do not see each other much but we lived in each other's pockets.
“Anything we could celebrate we would make sure we could do it together. That is why it is such a massive loss.
“The family parties were the best memories as we would all get together. When the kids weren’t there we would have some drinks and have these really meaningful chats but you would always end it with him making you laugh.
“He had such a big presence. He deserves a proper send off. We could have tried to scrape by and get the bog standard but he deserves more than that.
“It is important for his kids and my aunt to have a proper goodbye and have that last memory be a really good one. When something tragic happens you do not want to say we do not have the money to pay tribute the way his daughters would want to.
“He said he wanted to be buried and there should be a place where his daughters can visit. He was a big Hearts fan and so all the girls want to get tops with Biggie and dad on the back for the funeral.
“The community has already been really supportive with flowers and stopping by. Hopefully we can raise a good amount so that money is not an issue.”
Sleep apnoea is a condition in which a person's breathing stops and starts while asleep. Yvonne reiterated the importance of anyone suffering from symptoms related to sleep apnoea to go and get a check up at the doctors. She also hopes that by sharing the family’s story that others will take notice and be aware of the dangers the condition can pose.
Yvonne added: “I feel I need to make people aware that if they have those masks they need to wear them. I have a friend who has them and they only sometimes wear it but it is so important that it is worn all the time when sleeping.
“Biggie was diagnosed but was so stubborn and did not go for a follow up. By then it was too late. I had suspected something was not right for a few months and if I had known I would have chased it up further.
“There is not enough awareness around it. I want to ensure this doesn’t happen to another family.”
Those looking to support the family in their efforts to provide the best send off they can for Biggie can do so by donating to a GoFunMe here.
Information on sleep apnoea can be found on the NHS link here.
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