Former striker Marcus Stewart revealed that he stepped down from his coaching role at Yeovil Town this summer because he felt he would not be able to "physically do the job" as his motor neurone disease (MND) progresses.
The 52-year-old resigned from his position as head of player development at the National League club at the end of last season in May.
Stewart, who had a successful playing career with Ipswich, Bristol Rovers, Exeter City, Sunderland, and the Glovers, was diagnosed with the degenerative and incurable condition affecting nerves in the brain and spinal cord in 2022.
"Things are getting difficult, slowly taking my independence away," Stewart told BBC Radio Somerset.
"Next year I don't think I'd be able to physically do the job even though I was part-time."
"I didn't really want to rely on people next season and I didn't want to commit to something and then halfway through the season have to quit the club."
Bristol-born Stewart played in all top four tiers in England, scoring 254 goals in 783 games over his 20-year playing career.
He joined Yeovil's coaching staff in June 2022 and confirmed his MND diagnosis three months later.
"It's very difficult to clean my teeth, put my shoes on. It seems to have affected my right arm now as well as my left," Stewart said.
"But it's all about finding solutions for me, not having a problem. That's what I've got to do every time it affects me in some sort of way."
While football has been central to Stewart's life for decades, he mentioned he hasn't missed the sport yet, as he is preparing for an upcoming move with his family to Manchester.
"For the last 30-odd years I've always had this time of year off anyway, so it's just normal for me," he added.
"Give it a month or two when things have settled down and I'm in the house and I'm watching more football, I think that's a question for then."
"At the moment there's so many things going on in my life."
Stewart added that having football in his life since his diagnosis has been significantly helpful.
"I'm sure if I look back in two or three years' time I'd realize that I needed that football environment to help with dealing with the diagnosis," he said.
"And the support they've given me as a club, and the staff members, has been top class."
'I can get MND message out there'
Stewart is among several high-profile sports figures diagnosed with MND in recent years. Alongside coaching, he has participated in fundraisers for the Darby Rimmer Foundation.
The foundation aims to find treatments and eventually a cure while supporting the families of those living with MND.
"The biggest kick I get out of it is when I see so many people with MND that haven't got a voice - not like a profile, like literally [no voice]," Stewart said.
"They want to help and they want to get involved and they can't move. I suppose I can help, along with Kevin Sinfield, Stephen Darby, and Ed Slater, with getting it out there and helping raise funds and find a cure."
Two of his former clubs, Yeovil and Bristol Rovers, will face each other in a pre-season friendly at Huish Park in a 'Match for Marcus' to celebrate his career on Saturday, 19 July.
"It's very nice that people think about me and think about MND and it was kind of them to think about me for that game," Stewart said.
"All I've got to do is hope that we keep on fundraising and do a lot more for MND."
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