On March 8th, Robert Stewart suffered a sudden cardiac arrest while riding the Skyline Park trails he helped maintain. Thanks to immediate CPR and rapid emergency response, Robert survived — but he now faces a long recovery after also suffering a serious stroke.

Support Robert Stewart’s Long Road to Recovery

In early March, Robert Stewart was doing exactly what he loved — volunteering to repair trails at Skyline Park and spending time outdoors with the community he cares about.

On Saturday, he joined a Skyline Park trail work party, repairing trails, moving boulders, and sculpting drains. The next day, Sunday, March 8th, Robert was riding his mountain bike on those same trails when he suffered a sudden and severe cardiac event.

Thanks to immediate CPR from people nearby and the rapid arrival of emergency medical crews and a medical helicopter, Robert survived. But doctors later discovered that he had also suffered a serious stroke. Since that day, Robert has remained hospitalized and is now beginning the long and uncertain road to recovery.

Robert was accepted into the live-in rehabilitation program at Kaiser Vallejo on March 26th. He currently faces profound challenges with speech, swallowing, and movement, and is working every day in physical, speech, and occupational therapy. While recovery will take time, Robert is responding positively and giving everything he has to the work. Doctors say that after injuries like this, the brain can take time to “wake up,” and progress may unfold slowly over many months.

Robert’s sister, Lisa (Melissa), has been by his side every single day since March 8th, often sleeping in his hospital room to support his care. The rehabilitation program lasts only 21 days, and it is clear that Robert will require significant hands-on care afterward. Lisa has made the decision to move in and care for Robert so that he can return home rather than be placed in a nursing facility. This will require accessibility modifications to his home, specialized equipment, and long-term care support that insurance will only partially cover.

Robert has worked at Frye’s Printing for more than 30 years. Outside of work, he is deeply involved in the community he loves — volunteering at Skyline Park trail work parties, shooting archery at Silverado Archery Club, and spending time at Napa Gun Club.

Friends know Robert for his dry sense of humor, perfectly timed movie quotes, and his famously healthy habits. A banana and a handful of almonds after shooting the archery course before heading out on a mountain bike ride was his weekend norm. His calendar was built around outdoor adventures — backpacking trips in the Trinity Alps, long-range shooting including local precision rifle competitions, archery competitions, and hunting trips with friends in Hawaii and Northern California. He also fulfilled a lifelong dream of hunting in Africa with his archery equipment and hoped to return again someday.

At 60 years old, Robert is the healthiest guy you could imagine — lean, strong, and constantly active — always standing tall in his Kuiu, with a ChapStick in his pocket.

Robert now faces the hardest challenge of his life. No one can yet predict how much recovery will be possible, but those who know Robert understand his determination and resilience. He will fight for every bit of progress he can make.

This fundraiser will help support the care Robert will need when he returns home, including accessibility modifications, medical equipment, and the many expenses that insurance does not cover during this long recovery.

If you are able to contribute, your support will help Robert receive the care he needs and make it possible for him to return home. Even sharing this page will make a tremendous difference.

Thank you for supporting Robert and his family during this difficult time.