About Stuart
Stuart ‘Smudge’ Smith is just your typical working-class man in his late 50’s, who has worked since he was 16 in mainly manual work. Originally as a child, Stuart wanted to be an actor, after becoming fascinated with voices and was always very creative. Having strict parents and combined with kidney problems from a young age, it was not to be.
So, Stuart set his sights on joining the Royal Navy. After passing all the tests, unfortunately he failed the medical because of his earlier kidney problems, which started when he was 10. So, Stuart continued in manual work, until diagnosed with chronic kidney disease in 1994.
There is no cure for CKD as its known, on treatment in the form of either dialysis, or a kidney transplant. As the kidney problems he suffered as a child, had finally caught up with him, he felt this was like a recurring theme happening in his life and wondered, why me? After being rehoused by the local council, Stuart was eventually was called up for a kidney transplant on the 5th of December 1995.
He knew he had been given another chance, after struggling on dialysis and struggling to perform or work any other job. Stuart then set about getting back to work, in various manual jobs. This included labouring and heavy lifting, as well as working in many warehouses. Stuart did this alongside performing his voices. The picture is taken from 1997, nearly 2 years after his transplant, doing his impressions.
