On 4 November 2024 Stewart suffered his second ruptured aneurysm and was hospitalised in Nottingham and ultimately Lincoln where he entered Ashby Ward to be rehabilitated back into life.

He could not walk or talk or eat properly but the excellent team sought to get him back on his feet and with the expertise across nursing care, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech & language therapy, quickly got him back on his feet.

Ashby Ward provides rehab to people with neurological conditions as well as those who have experienced traumatic/acquired brain injuries and require complex rehabilitation. Patients and their families are an important part of this support as is the need for an external space for patients to grow and experience outdoor spaces, hence the garden.

This will be Stewart’s 16th GNR and is at a landmark stage of his and his wife Emma (who herself has run a number of half marathons) life as they both will have reached 60 years of age; in addition Nancy, their eldest will be 30 (having already run a number of half marathons and a marathon) and Harriet, their youngest will be 28 years old and has already run 5 Great North runs!

 
The extended family is also now involved in this as respective partners Stuart and Max (Nancys fiancé and Harriet’s boyfriend) will also be running, having also completed the course previously.

We know that ‘donation fatigue’ can easily set in but this ward does fantastic work and is really there when you need it, especially when you least expect it and are lying on the floor waiting for an ambulance to come so please give generously as the ward could really do with an outside area, which is being designed by the University team where Stewart used to work.

Unverified User