Fiona McDonald's self-penned death announcement highlights motor neurone disease

Death is a part of life, but what makes Fiona McDonald’s passing a unique event is that the Australian TV host had written her own death announcement before she died. Her sister posted it on Instagram on her behalf after she passed on October 3.

All images are from fionafinewines / Instagram unless otherwise stated.

Fiona McDonald was an Australian television presenter, best known for her appearance in the children’s TV show ‘Wombat’ and the Australian adaptation of the British game show ‘It’s a Knockout’ during the 1980s.

Image: Getty

Fiona McDonald was born between the years 1956 and 1957. Not much detail has been revealed about her birth origins, but she was reported by The Sydney Morning Herald to have passed at the age of 67 on October 3, 2024.

Image: Getty

According to ABC, Fiona McDonald was raised on a cattle property in Queensland, Australia. She grew up alongside two sisters, Kylie and Jacki McDonald.

Jacki McDonald is also a known television presenter in Australia. However, unlike Fiona, Jacki is currently still working in Australian media, as a radio presenter.

Fiona McDonald had quite an interesting career trajectory after her career on TV. According to ABC, she became a professional expert on wines and also worked a time as a writer and co-editor on a student newspaper, the ‘Woroni’, in the 1990s.

According to The Guardian, McDonald was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) in November 2021. As this illness progresses, patients "lose the use of their limbs and ability to speak, swallow and breathe", the National Institute of Neurological Disorder explains.

According to The Guardian, the fatality rate for those diagnosed with MND is a hundred percent, as there is "no cure" for the disease.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Fiona McDonald actively campaigned for support in MND research and worked along with her sister Kylie in raising money for the cause. The fundraiser is still ongoing and has managed to raise $225,433 out of a $250,000 target as of 7 October.

Because her unusual death announcement received attention from media sources throughout the world, including People, Fiona McDonald may be able to continue her lobbying for motor neurone disease research even after her passing.

Fiona McDonald will be remembered for her selfless efforts to help individuals suffering from motor neurone disease (MND). The outreach and traction of her posthumous message is bound to result in a better future for MND patients.

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