In an interview with this masthead last year, MacDonald discussed the devastation of her diagnosis, revealing she used a computerised voice to communicate.

“I noticed in July [2021] that I was having trouble speaking clearly, particularly if I was tired,” she wrote in an email to reporter Andrew Hornery.

“I ignored this for a while but realised it could be something sinister, so I embarked on an extensive round of medical tests, ultrasounds of my neck, full spinal MRIs, nerve testing, blood testing – everything was looked at until finally, they came to the terrible conclusion that it could only be motor neurone disease.

“This is not a disease for the faint-hearted. MND, also called ALS, is cruel, stealing the power of all muscles inch by inch, until you can’t walk, can’t hold hands, can’t talk, swallow and breathe. Then you die. There is no treatment, no cure. You get MND, you die.

Loading

“The hardest thing I have found about this gradual decline is the loss of power … but what’s the point of dwelling on the bad things when you have limited time to find the beauty?”

Fiona MacDonald and her sister Kylie embarked on a “big lap” around Australia to raise money for MND research in 2023.

Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday.