The wife of a 59-year-old man missing for the past five months is hopeful he could still be found alive.

“Everyone keeps telling me so much time has passed he must be dead. But I will not give up hope and will take any shred of information,” Phyllis Stewart told this newspaper yesterday.

Her husband, Tom, went missing from Mount Carmel Hospital after escaping while a nurse was checking on another patient.

Everyone keeps telling me so much time has passed he must be dead. But I will not give up hope

Mr Stewart was voluntarily admitted to the hospital on May 18 and, while there, had been under level one supervision, meaning he had to be accompanied by medical personnel at all times. While walking in an internal garden the Friday after his admission, he climbed up over the trees and then ran away before hospital staff could stop him.

Earlier this year, Ms Stewart and her daughter set up a Facebook page urging anyone with any information on his possible whereabouts to come forward.

Initially, there had been some reports of ‘sightings’ in different areas, however, Ms Stewart said police investigations indicated that the man spotted resembled her husband but was not him. “That means we have not seen him for the past five months and now we’re not even getting any sighting reports either,” Ms Stewart said.

She said that although doors had been closed to her recently, she was adamant she would not be giving up.

“If someone comes forward with information that, on being verified by the police, is found to be useful, then I will give that person a reward,” Ms Stewart pledged.

Still, Ms Stewart acknowledged that recognising her husband could prove difficult because he might not look the same as he did in the last photo she had of him.

Anyone with information about Mr Stewart’s whereabouts should contact the police on 2122 4001/2122 4009 or 119.