A Scots dad who was told he’d be “wasting the doctor’s time” when he initially called the GP surgery about his twitching leg has died just two years after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND).
Scott Stewart, 42, passed away in hospital in Stirling on Sunday. The father was diagnosed with MND in August 2022 after raising concerns about his symptoms.
At the time, neurologists told Scott to “enjoy life while he could.” The businessman leaves behind his wife, Robyn, who he recently married, and his six-month-old daughter Rae.
The family posted a message on his LinkedIn page, saying: “It’s with a heavy heart I need to share that Scott sadly passed away yesterday afternoon surrounded by his family. Stewart Family.”
During his illness, Scott continued to manage his golf equipment business from his home in Stirling. This allowed him to spend special time with Robyn and Rae before his untimely death.
Shortly after his diagnosis, the father called for better education within the medical community around early signs and symptoms of MND.
Speaking to the Record earlier this year, Scott said of his diagnosis: “It was dreadful. I called the surgery and before I’d even spoken to a doctor I was told I’d be wasting their time if I was to be put through – but I knew something wasn’t right.
“The uncertainty was the most brutal thing. It’s a horrendous thing to process. I have a family to support. Robyn is on maternity leave, and I need to be able to help them as much as possible. Nobody opens a chequebook when you receive a diagnosis – you need money to get by, and so does your family.
“Maybe I could have gone on more holidays or taken more time out, but I’ve found working gives me a sense of purpose. It’s a reason to get up in the morning rather than be parked in front of the television or an iPad.”
Paying tribute to his friend, former Scotland international rugby star Kenny Logan said he was devastated by Scott’s death just days before Christmas.
Speaking to BBC News, he said: “I’m really shocked. I saw him at his house a month ago and I was playing golf with him just 18 months ago. He played two over par, he was a really good golfer. He was playing to almost a professional golf standard, he was a scratch golfer.”
The 52-year-old former Glasgow and London Wasps winger first met Scott when he was a teenager.
Kenny continued: “I used to have a coaching clinic called Rugby With Kenny Logan and he used to come to that as a kid. He then told me about two years ago, when he was diagnosed with MND, that I had once given him a lift home because his mum and dad were running a bit late to pick him up from my camp and he’d never forgotten it.”
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