Family and friends of Scott Stewart, a father of a six-month-old daughter who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease, have paid tribute to him. The 42-year-old came to national attention on BBC Scotland News when he discussed adapting his home and trying to earn a living, hoping to live for years to come despite his diagnosis. The former Glasgow and London Wasps winger and Scotland international Kenny Logan led the tributes, saying he was “devastated” by his friend’s death just days before Christmas. Logan, who had run a coaching clinic called Rugby with Kenny Logan that Stewart attended when he was a boy, said he was playing almost to a professional golf standard before his health decline.
Stewart’s 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 x.” There is currently no cure or effective treatment for the condition, which affects the brain and nerves and causes progressive muscle paralysis, stiffness, and weakness. Stewart had set up a business selling golf accessories during the pandemic whilst on furlough, and he had continued to work on it until recently when he had to go to the hospital.
The My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, of which Logan is an ambassador, an MND charity, also paid tribute. Paul Thompson, the director of fundraising at the organisation, said he was “immensely” sad. The foundation’s founder, the former Scotland international rugby star Doddie Weir, died in 2022, six years after his own MND diagnosis. Stewart was the first recipient of the inaugural James Clarke Award at the foundation’s recent annual dinner in recognition of his campaigning and support for the foundation. Thompson said that Stewart believed MND was an underfunded ‘curable’ disease, and why he had devoted so much attention to promoting research into it and fundraising in the golfing community, of which he was also a prominent member.
Many in the golfing world, including the Scottish Open champion Robert MacIntyre, who is ranked 14th in the world, also paid tribute to Stewart. He had spent his life savings on adapting his family home to fit his needs and used the £170 per week disability allowance to pay for a Motability car. Stewart’s wife Robyn is currently on maternity leave from her job as a program manager for Public Health Scotland
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