….. It’s not often we, as a community get a collective kick in the bollocks, but Leezo’s passing did just that.
It bought us to a halt in our everyday lives because when someone dies, it shakes us but when someone so young dies, it shocks us to the core.
It has the effect of subverting our everyday lives because it's no secret that Lee’s partner and kids are facing not only emotional hardship but also financial.
As if Lee's passing is bad enough, but for his family to face even more hardship is a double-kick to their peace of mind.
I’m pretty sure though, his partner and kids will be looked after by Lee’s extended family which is, as it should be.
As a community, we had to face one of our own take that ultimate walk to the dead-box and I don’t think I’m exaggerating by suggesting it’s had a profound effect on all of us. It wasn’t that long ago we lost one of Nexus’s players, Jay Ford who died of cancer, that was bad enough but to have Lee’s passing so close is even more dreadful.
Death seems to have no thought of fairness or consequence, it merely selects ...
Our thoughts have always been with Lee’s family, and personally speaking, it kinda bought it home more when I saw the photo of his partner and kids.
Thoughts begin to percolate your mind as to just how those kids will cope and it makes unpleasant brooding as you try to escape the clutch of such dire sadness.
I’d hope Lee’s in a better place now but his family are left to ponder their loss and to try and pick up the pieces of their shattered lives.
The money this appeal has made will undoubtedly help Lee’s family, and for that, I’m sure they’ll be grateful; we don’t need or want any recognition for that help, all we want as a community is to know she can count on us in the future, if the need be … I’d like to think she could.
She’s now entering the most difficult phase of Lee’s passing, the immediacy of loss and need for a funeral took precedence in the week or so following Lee's death… but now, she has to sit at home and come to terms with the reality of what’s happened.
In a sense, the weeks following Lee’s passing look after themselves - now is the time when she really needs support and hopefully, there will be a continuance of help both during and after these weeks.
I would like to thank each and every one of you guys who helped in this – Jim [Dusty] has overseen the management of all the cash and has done an outstanding job - I’d like to thank and recognise what he’s achieved in terms of this appeal.
Gary [Jitsu] was a close friend of Lee’s and has mediated at all levels between the appeal and Lee’s family.
He was in constant contact with Lee up until the end, and upheld contact with Lee’s partner from then on .. if it weren’t for Gary, I think this appeal wouldn’t have been so successful.
While we all concern ourselves with varying degrees of trivia during our everyday lives, if one good thing could come out of Lee’s passing, it should be to acknowledge that perhaps, we’re better served by focussing on the more important things in life … And ‘yes’, that includes me …
Our site achieved what no other paintball forum community could have done, we have our differences in paintball but when push comes to shove, we acted as one, it sounds a bit schmaltzy but it’s true, 100% true.
I’ve no doubt our community will move on, life is like that but let’s try and remember what Lee’s passing meant to people .. to our community as paintballers; and if we can do that, then we haven’t surrendered everything to cynicism or pettiness, we can learn from times like these.
I’m not a believer in a religious God but on the off-chance there is one, I hope he glances over to Lee’s family occasionally, and gives them a little help now and again.
It bought us to a halt in our everyday lives because when someone dies, it shakes us but when someone so young dies, it shocks us to the core.
It has the effect of subverting our everyday lives because it's no secret that Lee’s partner and kids are facing not only emotional hardship but also financial.
As if Lee's passing is bad enough, but for his family to face even more hardship is a double-kick to their peace of mind.
I’m pretty sure though, his partner and kids will be looked after by Lee’s extended family which is, as it should be.
As a community, we had to face one of our own take that ultimate walk to the dead-box and I don’t think I’m exaggerating by suggesting it’s had a profound effect on all of us. It wasn’t that long ago we lost one of Nexus’s players, Jay Ford who died of cancer, that was bad enough but to have Lee’s passing so close is even more dreadful.
Death seems to have no thought of fairness or consequence, it merely selects ...
Our thoughts have always been with Lee’s family, and personally speaking, it kinda bought it home more when I saw the photo of his partner and kids.
Thoughts begin to percolate your mind as to just how those kids will cope and it makes unpleasant brooding as you try to escape the clutch of such dire sadness.
I’d hope Lee’s in a better place now but his family are left to ponder their loss and to try and pick up the pieces of their shattered lives.
The money this appeal has made will undoubtedly help Lee’s family, and for that, I’m sure they’ll be grateful; we don’t need or want any recognition for that help, all we want as a community is to know she can count on us in the future, if the need be … I’d like to think she could.
She’s now entering the most difficult phase of Lee’s passing, the immediacy of loss and need for a funeral took precedence in the week or so following Lee's death… but now, she has to sit at home and come to terms with the reality of what’s happened.
In a sense, the weeks following Lee’s passing look after themselves - now is the time when she really needs support and hopefully, there will be a continuance of help both during and after these weeks.
I would like to thank each and every one of you guys who helped in this – Jim [Dusty] has overseen the management of all the cash and has done an outstanding job - I’d like to thank and recognise what he’s achieved in terms of this appeal.
Gary [Jitsu] was a close friend of Lee’s and has mediated at all levels between the appeal and Lee’s family.
He was in constant contact with Lee up until the end, and upheld contact with Lee’s partner from then on .. if it weren’t for Gary, I think this appeal wouldn’t have been so successful.
While we all concern ourselves with varying degrees of trivia during our everyday lives, if one good thing could come out of Lee’s passing, it should be to acknowledge that perhaps, we’re better served by focussing on the more important things in life … And ‘yes’, that includes me …
Our site achieved what no other paintball forum community could have done, we have our differences in paintball but when push comes to shove, we acted as one, it sounds a bit schmaltzy but it’s true, 100% true.
I’ve no doubt our community will move on, life is like that but let’s try and remember what Lee’s passing meant to people .. to our community as paintballers; and if we can do that, then we haven’t surrendered everything to cynicism or pettiness, we can learn from times like these.
I’m not a believer in a religious God but on the off-chance there is one, I hope he glances over to Lee’s family occasionally, and gives them a little help now and again.
