Australian TV host Fiona MacDonald announced her own death at the age of 67 in a posthumous social media post on Thursday.
The beloved host, who worked on the children’s program “Wombat” and game show “It’s a Knockout,” died three years after being diagnosed with a motor neuron disease.
“Farewell my friends. My sister Kylie is posting this because I have left the building — Hopefully I’m looking down from a cloud,” MacDonald wrote in the Instagram post.
“Last night brought an end to a very tough few months. Was very peaceful the boys and Kylie stayed with me to say goodbye. “While I’ve never wanted to die, the thought of leaving my tortured body was a relief,” she wrote.
She described her last few months as “tough,” saying she was unable to swallow normal food, couldn’t tolerate protein drinks and was “slowly starving, growing weaker and weaker.”
MacDonald was diagnosed with a motor neuron disease in November 2021, the Australia Broadcasting Company reported. Neither the ABC nor MacDonald ever publicly identified the specific diagnosis.
There are various motor neuron diseases; the term refers to progressive neurological disorders that destroy motor neurons and cells. Generally, these neurons control skeletal muscle activity including walking, breathing, speaking and swallowing, according to the National Institutes of Health. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and progressive bulbar palsy (PBP) are both examples of motor neuron diseases. For most, there are no cures.
“The black humor that served me well through the first years of this journey turned to despair,” MacDonald explained in her post. “I made the decision after much soul searching to cease all medical supports and finally go into hospital for end of life palliative care. When you love life as much as I do, it takes a great deal of courage to make choices that lead to farewell.”
“So let’s not call it goodbye as I hope to see you again on the other side,” she continued.
She finished her post with a quote: “May the wind be always at your back, May the sun shine warm upon your face, May the rain fall softly upon your fields until we meet again, And may God hold you in the hollow of His hand.”
“I carry your love and laughter with me and hope you’ll remember mine,” she concluded.
TV series Australian Story covered MacDonald’s diagnosis last October.
In early 2021 she started to feel some symptoms, including slurring her words and tripping, the program revealed. She said the diagnosis came as a “shock” as MacDonald had no family history of motor neuron diseases.
“My world came crashing down,” she said in the episode, via a computerized voice as she had lost the ability to speak.
“This is not a disease for the faint-hearted. There is no treatment, no cure,” she explained in the episode. But she didn’t let her diagnosis stop her. Even as she grew weaker and relied on wheelchairs and canes for mobility, she and her sister embarked on a road trip around Australia to raise money to support research into motor neuron diseases before she passed away.
