Fiona MacDonald suffered from a severe nervous disorder and knew she was going to die. She decided to announce her death herself – including an emotional farewell message.
“The last few months have been tough,” wrote Fiona MacDonald, 67, in a post on Instagram on Thursday. Just part of an emotional message with a tragic background: the Australian TV presenter was no longer alive at the time.
MacDonald suffered for around three years from a rare motor neuron disease, which resulted in progressive damage to the nerve cells that control muscle strength. Her condition became particularly bad in the last six months. She could no longer eat solid food and feeding through a gastric tube didn’t work properly. “I slowly starved and became weaker and weaker. “I also developed terrible back pain because my muscles no longer supported my body,” MacDonald continued in the post.
She knew she wouldn’t have much time left. But she used this to write an emotional text that her sister Kylie was supposed to publish on her Instagram profile after her death.
MacDonald wanted to live, but also to be redeemed
That happened Thursday, the day after MacDonald’s death. The television presenter reported on her battle against the disease and the conflict of wanting to live but no longer having to endure the pain of death. “Although I never wanted to die, the thought of leaving my tortured body was a relief,” wrote the Australian.
At first she would have approached her illness with dark humor, but this increasingly turned into despair. That’s why MacDonald ultimately decided to stop all medical help. “If you love life as much as I do, it takes a lot of courage to make decisions that lead to farewell.”
But she doesn’t want to describe her death as a final farewell because she hopes to see her again on the other side. “I carry your love and laughter with me and hope that you will remember mine.”
