The grandson of a popular Gorbals man who took his own life has said his family is still struggling to come to terms with their loss nearly two decades on.
Jamie McCabe took his own life at the age of 40, leaving behind his wife Heather, four kids, and grandchildren. The death sent shockwaves through the tight-knit family and left them with questions that still remain unanswered.
As the family approaches the 20-year anniversary of Jamie's death, his grandson David Fraser has decided to embark on a fundraising mission to help others struggling with their mental health.
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The 23-year-old told Glasgow Live that his decision to start the fundraiser for the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) has allowed his mum Deborah and gran Heather to open up about the circumstances surrounding Jamie's death.
He said: "My granda committed suicide in June 2003 when he was just 40. He and my gran had four kids and my two uncles were only 12 and 17 so they were still growing up.
"I was only three-years-old so I don't have much memory of him and neither does my little sister but we've been there to see the impact it had on our family. My experience is with what the family deals with after losing someone in such a way.
"They really struggled. My mum had to take on a lot of responsibility for looking after her siblings and she and my dad helped out a lot to help my gran get through it.
"It was difficult for my uncles to lose their dad so young as someone they looked up to and aspired to be. I've seen growing up the impact that suicide has on a family. Even after all these years my mum still gets upset when she talks about it."
Jamie was a popular figure in the Gorbals community having lived there throughout his life. He was described as a "happy person who got on with so many people".
The details of Jamie's sudden death were kept from his grandkids until they were old enough to understand. By the time they were told as teenagers, gran Heather still had no idea what led to her husband getting to the point where he would take his own life.
David added: "I must have been maybe 13 or 14 when I found it he hadn't died in an accident. It was kind of confusing at first and I didn’t really understand why someone would do it or how you come to that place. As I’ve gotten older I’ve come to a better understanding that the person is not in their usual mindset.
"There was never any sign that he was struggling. My family is from the Gorbals and we've always lived here so a lot of people knew him.
"Nobody expected this. It was a shock. My gran still to this day can't explain what would've happened to cause it.
"He was such a happy person, he got on with so many people and everybody loved him. Everything can look good on the outside but you don't know what's happening with a person on the inside."
While the family has always marked Jamie's death, David decided that this year he wanted to raise money for other people struggling and for the families left behind. He decided to hold a charity football tournament and has so far managed to raise over £1,600.
David said: "Suicide prevention day falls on my birthday so we were trying to do it that day. The plan was to do it around that time to make everybody aware that it's important to speak to people and that there is help out there.
"I went to my mum and dad and said that I wanted to do a fundraiser and that I thought it would be good to get something going especially at this time of year as this is when people start feeling the pressure. People can start to feel overwhelmed in the run-up to Christmas.
"My mum and gran have been speaking more about the situation and how it affected them and how they were feeling at the time since I decided to do it.
"The response from people in the community has been overwhelming too. The amount of people who live nearby who donated is incredible."
David's fundraiser remains open for donations and can be visited here.
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