Mia Williams
Australian TV presenter Fiona MacDonald announced her own death on Instagram, after many years of suffering from an incurable disease.
A post on the 67-year-old's Instagram account confirmed yesterday (October 3) that the former host of the It's a Knockout game show had died.
However, the heartfelt post was not written by family members.
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Instead, MacDonald decided to write her own announcement for when the time came.
She was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) three years ago, and the battle she fought is one that has inspired others tremendously.
The disease is currently incurable, and MacDonald experienced her body 'growing weaker and weaker' as time went by.
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After learning of her diagnosis in 2021, she devoted her final years to help raise money to find a cure for MND.
In her post, she said: "Farewell my friends.
"My sister Kylie is posting this because I have left the building - Hopefully I’m looking down from a cloud.
"Last night brought an end to a very tough few months.
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"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 reflected on how living with the disease has affected her body, and both the mental and physical struggles.
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"The last few months have been tough," she added.
"Unable to swallow normal food, the tube feeding that should have sustained me didn’t work because my gut couldn’t tolerate any of the multiple brands of protein drinks.
"It went straight in and straight out.
"I have been slowly starving, growing weaker and weaker.
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"I’ve also developed terrible back pain because my muscles aren’t supporting my frame."
She also noted that the 'black humour' that she used to get through the early stages of living with the disease had turned into 'despair', as she made the decision to search for a 'hospital for end of life palliative care'.
She continued: "When you love life as much as I do, it takes a great deal of courage to make choices that lead to farewell."
MND is a disease that attacks the nerves known as motor neurones.
They can be found in the brain and spinal cord, and they help to tell the muscles what to do.
Concluding her post, she wrote: "I carry your love and laughter with me and hope you’ll remember mine."
She leaves behind her two sons Harry and Rafe, as well as sisters Kylie and Jacki MacDonald.