Marcus Stewart has opened up on his battle with Motor Neurone Disease following his crushing diagnosis - 22 years after finishing second in the Premier League Golden Boot race.
The ex-Ipswich striker was told by doctors that he had the condition in January 2022 but didn't announce it until last September. Stewart had undergone 12 months of testing and multiple hospital appointments before being told the crushing news, just a matter of months ahead of his 50th birthday.
Stewart's symptoms are slow and the only visible sign is his skinny left hand and an index finger that sticks out, but there is no cure for the disease and it is likely his condition will worsen. The former forward was faced with many challenges in his footballing career, but nothing will come close to what could follow.
He told the Daily Mail : "It was at the time when you could only have a drink outside and we were at our local pub, Marcus went to pick up his drink and he said [to his wife Louise], 'Lou, look at my hand'. It did not look good. It was like cramp. He had to peel his fingers open. But I thought it was probably just because of the cold.
"I was doing home workouts and over the course of time my hand kept coming off the pull-up bar or I'd drop a dumbbell. Then I remember being sat down and turning the TV on and noticing my hand looked a bit skinny. I looked at my arm and compared it to my right. I've always been slim but I’m left-handed so my left arm should be a little bit bigger. That was it and it just went from there."
Stewart is largely remembered for scoring 19 goals in the 2000/01 season for Ipswich as he helped fire the Tractor Boys to fifth place in the Premier League and a place in the UEFA Cup. He came second in the Golden Boot race behind Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (23) and was named the club's Player of the Year.
In total, Stewart netted 199 career goals and also represented the likes of Sunderland, Bristol City and Huddersfield in his career before retiring in 2011. It wasn't all positive for Stewart, however, as he faced a number of different challenges in his playing career - and his latest battle with MND is no different.
"MND didn’t even cross my mind," Stewart added. "Lou was worried, but I was like, 'Shut up, soppy, I'm fine, there is nothing wrong with me'.
"I went to the appointment all happy, thinking they are going to give me the all-clear. The specialist got me on the bed and I had to stay as still as I could for five minutes as she checked my legs, arms and mouth.
"We then sat down and she went, 'It’s highly likely you’ve got MND'. She was so cold. She was like, 'There is not a lot we can do, I’ll book an appointment and see you in six months'. I was completely dumbstruck. I’m quite good at taking things, but I just didn’t expect that."
Stewart admitted relaying the news over the phone to Louise, before later telling his two sons, Kian 23, and Finlay, 20, was the toughest part, though he received a positive response from his doctor at his last check-up and is determined not to let the diagnosis stand in his way.
He is now working as Head of Player Development for Yeovil Town - a role Stewart has been in since the start of the season after Chris Hargreaves' appointment as manager. He is also supporting other MND causes and charities, such as the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation, which was started by ex-Liverpool defender Stephen Darby, who was diagnosed with the disease four years ago.
