Ex-footballer Marcus Stewart opens up on having Motor Neurone Disease in a recent powerful interview with Sky Sports.
The 51 year old Ipswich legend explains about how Motor Neurone Disease has affected his life and how he refuses to let it define him.
It was on the 8th of September 2022 when Stewart was diagnosed with MND following twelve months of testing.
Marcus’ playing career across a period of 20 years, making over 650 appearances at eight different clubs, including Bristol Rovers, Huddersfield Town, Ipswich Town, Sunderland, Bristol City, Yeovil Town and Exeter City, scoring over 250 goals.
The Bristol-born striker also played at every tier of English professional football, including scoring 19 goals for Ipswich Town in the Premier League, and helped the Tractor Boys secure 5th place in 2000-2001 and qualify for the UEFA Cup.
Since retirement, he has moved into coaching and management, currently head of player development at Yeovil Town.
Interviewer: “The Ipswich supporters will have you down as an inspiring player we’ve seen over the last couple of years, you’re an even more inspiring man.
“There’s no easy way of saying it, two years ago you were diagnosed with motor neurone disease, how have you been able to approach such a difficult situation.”
Marcus: “It’s simple I don’t live with MND, MND lives with me, that’s it, my life keeps going until I can.
“I get satisfaction out of helping other people with MND even though I’ve got it enjoy being part of the MND family, we’re all it together
“Adversity to me was a fuel, you know, wasn’t a negative and it’s the same with this, there a fuel to me so there’s a little bit of fire in my belly still and very rarely does the thought of what might happen with MND gets into the back of my mind, very rarely does it go into my mind.”
Interviewer: “The condition affects everyone differently do you feel able to say like how it affects you at this stage.
Marcus: Yeah of course yeah so it’s still my left hand as you can see and my right hand’s starting to be affected a little bit it’s imagine when you’ve been to the gym and your arms feel really heavy you know and you done a really arm big arm workout they just feel heavy this one just feels really heavy .
“Sometimes it’s hard to lift stuff I can just about grip stuff with this hand this hand’s not at all I can’t do anything with that and this arm but I can still get through with things I can still drive that’s not a problem I can still walk I can still pick a cup of tea up just about I can do most things with it you know that the thing is with MND you know you get a disappointment, some get it every day, something happens to their body where they can’t use something and that’s that’s got to be tough to deal with.
“Mine’s, I’ve said this before, mines every two months, every three months when I have that something doesn’t, something stops working in my body and it does it take me a two two or three days to get over that disappointment but once I am I’m fine.”
Interviewer: “For you what what were the first signs, it’s two years ago now?”
Marcus: “Just a weak grip that was it, not fatigue just the weak grip, I’m left-handed so my left hand should be the stronger of the two by 5-10% and my left hand was becoming weak so that that was it really that’s what started all off.”
Interviewer: “Just tell us about the work you’ve done in terms of fundraising raising awareness.”
Marcus: I ain’t done anything my wife’s done most of it, no we’ve done loads of stuff Team Stewart we’ve got over a 100 people that contribute to that pool of money, last weekend there was a my friend’s captain of the golf club he raised £600 for Team Stewart because he had a captain’s day, dinner at Old Trafford we got coming in November, March of the Day Wembley to Ipswich so that that’ be another good one people are doing their own things as well and raising money and just heading to the pool they £500 £200 £20 which keeps the pool going up which is brilliant.”
Interviewer: “What’s the ultimate goal Marcus we’re looking for a cure?”
Marcus: “I’ve said a cure we need to find a cure of course a cure brilliant or some sort of drug that will prolong life by decades not months that that’s the goal.
Interviewer: “You described yourself in one previous interview as a m andd fighter you prefer that to like a sufferer or something like.”
Marcus: “Yeah I don’t like suffering or I don’t even don’t know where fighter I think um sometimes I think I’ve got it it’s strange, MND I’ve got MND, that’s simple as that I don’t know whether fight fighting is the right word after it whether whether warriors right word it people use certain things you know um I tell you what I am I’m defying him indeed that’s what I’m doing Rob Burrow was an MND warrior a lot of people call themselves that whatever you want to call yourself after MND if you’ve got MND and it makes you feel good brilliant you call yourself that.”
Interviewer: “Do you think it’s given you a different perspective to make sure you sort of relish and enjoy every moment or just speaking to today has that.”
Marcus: “Always been there do you think it’s always been there yeah uh no no I listen I I still do the same things I would do in everyday life I would normally do but I don’t cherish him anymore I just live my life I don’t think oh God this is I might not be able to do this in two years time I don’t think about that I just live in the moment I just know how hard it is for people with MND for me to dressed in the morning it’s quite tough and I’ve got I’ve just about still got both kind of arms to use things some people can’t do that they can’t get dressed in the morning they can’t shower themselves you know the families are the ones that suffer a lot more than the patient themself in terms of trying to help someone that sometimes doesn’t want to be helped because they want to be able to do it themselves but they can’t, so they need your help and I think a lot of people suffer with that that they want that people have to help them and they not independent anymore and it does whip your Independence away sometimes within two months sometimes hopefully longer Stephen Hawkings 50 years so it whips it away but mine’s mine’s okay I’m slow at the moment my independence is going slowly but I’ve still got it, I don’t live with MND, MND lives with me that’s it my life keeps going until I can.”
You can donate to Team Stewart in their fight against Motor Neurone Disease through JustGiving here.
ABOUT MND (as per the NHS website):
Motor neurone disease is a rare condition affecting the brain and nerves. It eventually leads to death, but some people live with it for many years.
Symptoms of motor neurone disease include muscle weakness, twitches, slurred speech and difficulty swallowing. The symptoms get worse over time.
Treatment for motor neurone disease aims to ease the symptoms as much as possible. Treatments include physiotherapy, speech therapy and medicines.
Motor neurone disease happens when cells in the brain and nerves, called motor neurones, gradually stop working. It’s not known why this happens.
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Special memories of Marcus Stewart’s hat-trick away to Southampton. Finishing it off with a Panenka #ITFC
— Renegade Statman Ⓜ️ (@CallMeStat) September 19, 2024
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