I’m not going to lay down and take a kicking
Stuart,40, worries his kids will grow up without him
A SOLDIER who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan is facing his toughest battle – and fears his three children may grow up without him.
Stuart Carmichael, 40, has been fighting motor neurone disease (MND) for nearly two years and his condition has deteriorated during lockdown.
Stuart, from Glasgow, has told of his fears for his daughters Charlize, nine, Jodie, seven, and Freyja, two, and the strain his illness has put on his wife Britta and the girls.
He said: “It does worry me to think of them maybe growing up without me. It has been very hard for my family.
“The hard thing has been we haven’t told our daughters about the severity of the disease or how bad it might get. They are too young to understand yet and they just know that Daddy is ill. But I am a soldier and I won’t lay down for this – they say a square go in Glasgow – and I’m not just going to lay down and take a kicking. I am trained to fight but need the tools. In lockdown, my abilities have taken a massive hit.
“My symptoms have got worse. My hands struggle to function and my legs have got weaker. My wife has to help me get ready and supports me going up and down the stairs.
“I notice my mobility issue more and more, as I was at the peak of my game in the forces. I trained to become a Paratrooper in support of airborne operations.
“Now, I have been reduced to the use of a walking stick and can barely walk round my home.”
He was just out of the Army and adjusting to civilian life in Glasgow as an electrician when his symptoms started.
Stuart described the terrifying onset of his first symptoms.
He said: “It was when I was climbing a ladder and both my hands cramped up that I knew it was something serious.”
He went to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and was diagnosed with MND on March 13, 2019.
The condition can lead to problems with gripping, walking, speaking and even breathing and swallowing. MND affects people of all ages but is more common in over- 60s. Life expectancy for about half of those with it is three years from the start of symptoms.
Stuart said: “I was told it can happen at my age but it still came as a massive shock.
“I was Para-trained and tried to keep myself at the peak of physical condition.
“You look at people who keep fit like ex-footballers Fernando Ricksen and Jinky Johnstone, who have also suffered, and you wonder what the connection might be.”
Stuart joined the Army in 2000 and served in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and then the Royal Engineers. During his 15-year career, he was part of the invasion battle group that stormed Iraq in 2003 then served in Afghanistan. He met his German wife while stationed on an Army base.
Through his pals in the forces he has been given fresh hope via pioneering stem cell treatment in Mexico – but it can cost up to £100,000.
Stuart’s Army mate Dave Harcus has set up an online fundraiser – and former comrades and service people have donated £17,000.
Stuart said: “It is totally overwhelming, I have just been blown away.”
To donate to Stuart, visit www.gofundme.com