as we have a lot of people on the thread right now, I'm going to paste back up a portion of his evidence in chief ( day 1 only)
I have it to hand and
fresh eyes and all that ....members here who have family with epilepsy etc
“My health got worse and worse, I ended up in bed for a week, I was diagnosed with glandular fever which meant I couldn’t take my first year of exams. “At the end of my second year I was top of the course. “I met Diane at the beginning of my third and final year. Diane was studying languages. “We met in the canteen and I stole a chip off her plate. That’s how we met”. Stewart’s voice breaks as he talks about how he met his late wife.
“I graduated with a first class honours and got the course prize. Diane had another three years to go of her studies. “I got a job in Hitchin working for computer process control. “I did miss being a student. I’d been to an interview at Cambridge University and went to study for a PHD in computer graphics. “The relationship with Diane continued at that time. “Once she completed her studies she moved to Cambridge and moved in with me. It didn’t go down well with her parents at the time. “We bought our first house together right in the centre of Cambridge.”
“We managed somehow to pay the mortgage - the deposit was paid by my compensation for my earlier accident. “I didn’t complete my PhD course, that is always one regret of mine. I was offered too difficult a job to turn down. “In 1985 Diane and I got married. We had a nice traditional wedding. We moved into a semi-detached house. “I began working for a small company that made systems for motor engine analysis. “I was working outside of Cambridge and needed a car. Before either of the lads were born I bought an MG. My interest in those type of cars continued until Jamie was born. “I got another job at a much bigger company, based in Shepreth, about 10 miles from Cambridge.
“Jamie was born in 1992, when I was still in Cambridge. “
That didn’t go smoothly. Diane had had epileptic fits when she was about 16, during the pregnancy of Jamie she had very high blood pressure. “She was out shopping and had a fit then and there. I was called to hospital. “Jamie was not a natural birth, he was born by C section. It was a bit of a panic.”
“
Diane then had another epileptic fit, she was in hospital, but the consequence of that was serious. “She was banned from driving for three years. She made up her mind that she wasn’t going to go back to work and was going to be a stay at home mum. “The main reason we moved to Bassingbourn was because we wanted more space. I then had less than a five minute drive to work. “We lived in a caravan whilst the house was being built on farmer’s land. “We had to borrow some money to buy the land.”
“During the work on the house I would find myself tired and unable to do anything quicker than my dad. “I realised something was wrong then (1994/95). “Oliver was born the same year, in May 1995.
Diane was taking medication for epilepsy. “We moved into the house, it wasn’t finished but it was liveable. “I started to notice more and more things going wrong with my health. What really bought it to a head is that I was trying to hammer a nail in, and on the third bang my arm just wouldn’t move. “That’s what drove me to go to hospital. I was diagnosed almost instantly with Myasthenia gravis. “It is an auto-immune disease where the body is attacking itself. They gave me steroids. “A week later I was taken into intensive care because of the breathing problems. “The doctor’s don’t know what causes Myasthenia gravis - there is no known cure for it.”
“I was operated upon. That was my worst time ever in hospital. “Eventually I was discharged. “I was off work due to the tiredness and weakness. “With this [my illness] you just feel totally done in. “My muscles in my face sometimes don’t work, I have no idea when I’m smiling or not. “I have a more passive expression than most.”
Stewart said he later had a cancer scare, and was convinced to have another operation. “I went back into Papworth Hospital and had the same operation. Very annoyingly all it was was scar tissue. “It wasn’t cancer, thankfully. “Myasthenia gravis is quite rare, every time I end up in Addenbrooke’s Hospital they use me as a demonstration. Stewart said one of his lungs only has 60 per cent capacity, adding “compared to my other breathing problems that’s not good.”
Stewart was unable to return to work after severe attack
Stewart also said effectively he only has one vocal chord as a result of complications with his operations. “I’ve been in intensive care five or six times. Generally, I was down there because they’re so concerned. “I went back to work and we went on holiday. I had a severe attack and ended up in intensive care in France. “I was flown back to Addenbrooke’s and was in intensive care there for a while. “Following my discharge from there I never went back to work again on advice from the doctors. “It’s not known what brings my Myasthenia gravis on.”
“I’ve had a blue (disabled) badge when driving for 18/19 years.
“Sadly Diane died on June 25, 2010. “I was left in charge of the two boys. They were 18 and 15 at that time. “I was given a book on how to cope and deal with grief from a bridesmaid at Diane’s wedding. “In the book was also a website name for a forum for widows and widowers to share their feelings. “It was a very open forum and it was very good. “I went to an event in London, 30 of us shared experiences of grieving face to face.”
http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/incoming/live-helen-bailey-murder-trial-12566970
proviso - we know we can't trust a word this oaf says...
