Former Formula One driver and three-time champion between 1969 and 1973, Jackie Stewart saw his wife diagnosed with dementia and went on a relentless quest to find a cure
Three-time Formula One World Champion Sir Jackie Stewart is facing a completely different battle at the age of 83. Helen, wife of the former British driver for the past 60 years, was diagnosed with dementia seven years ago - a disease that still has no known cure - and the 1969, 1971 and 1973 champion is still in a relentless battle to find something to help his wife recover.
"It's the most important thing in my life right now," Stewart told Britain's GB News channel. "Helen, to whom I've been married for 60 years, was my timekeeper, my organizer, she did everything and gave me two wonderful boys. And unfortunately, she was diagnosed seven years ago with dementia. And I was shocked to learn that there was no cure, it's been going on for more than 50 years without a cure in this modern world," he lamented.
During the conversation, as he explained the goals he has set with the founding of a charity focused on finding a cure for dementia, Stewart hopes that his experience of never giving up as a Formula One driver will help in the grueling search for the antidote.
"We started a [charity] foundation called Race Against Dementia," he continued. "And I decided that Formula One was a great example of how to quickly succeed. F1 teams will make five or six changes to their cars during the week, between races, in an effort to win," he explained.
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"In the medical world, it seems like it takes forever to have a chance, as for over 50 years there is no cure for dementia," he continued. "There are more people dying of dementia now than any other disease in the world, and to me that is unacceptable, particularly when the person you love contracts this terrible disease," he pointed out.
Stewart explained that his foundation travels the world recruiting the best possible doctors, always focused on finding a solution for patients suffering from the disease. However, the former British driver admits that the struggle is not easy - let alone solved in a matter of a few days.
"I go around the world trying to find something to free Helen from this terrible disease, and yet it's just not there," he said. "So we take all our PhDs, we find PhDs in all corners of the world, always the best of the best in medical universities. We're looking for a cure for dementia while I'm alive. It's a big decision when you think that for so many years, there isn't one," he pointed out.
"I'd like to think that some of the young doctors we've brought in will find something that hasn't come along in the last 20 years," he tweeted. "We want a cure now. We have PhDs around the world trying to find a solution. I hope it happens, as I said, while I'm alive. But I don't think it's a five-minute job," he closed.