Inside Fiona MacDonald’s heartbreaking three-year battle with motor neurone disease after TV legend announced her own death

Fiona MacDonald’s family have paid tribute to the much-loved star following her death earlier this month.

Fiona, who won hearts in the 1980s as presenter of Seven’s children’s program Wombat, died aged 67 after a three-year battle with motor neurone disease.

Her sister Kylie Thynne has opened up about the bravery of her sibling after her refused further treatment because of the agony of her persistent symptoms.

“Fiona was an incredible writer and touched so many people by being raw and honest about life with ALS,” Kylie said Women’s Day this week.

She said the family are “holding each other tight” in the aftermath of Fiona’s death, and described her sister as a “boots and all girl” who “rode” her illness as if “she had stolen it”.

‘The outpouring of love [for Fiona] was incredible,” she said.

“She left an indelible mark on this world and on all of us.”

Kylie and Fiona made headlines last year when they took a road trip together to raise money for MND. Their trip, which raised $200,000 for research, was later featured in an episode of Australian Story.

Meanwhile, a TV insider has revealed to the publication that there are plans to induct Fiona into the Logie Hall of Fame.

“There have been six posthumous recipients over the years,” the source said.

‘So it is very likely that Fiona will be recognized for her outstanding contribution to the Australian TV industry – she was so loved by everyone.’

A TV insider has revealed to the publication that there are plans to induct Fiona into the Logie Hall of Fame

Posthumous inductees into the Logie Hall of Fame included journalists Peter Harvey, Brian Naylor, Neil Davis, Brian Walsh, actor Maurie Fields and conservationist Steve Irwin.

Fiona announced her own death on Instagram earlier this month in a heartbreaking post.

“Goodbye my friends,” the Queensland-born presenter said.

“My sister Kylie is posting this because I left the building. Hopefully I’m looking down from a cloud.

‘Last night a very tough few months came to an end. It was very quiet, the boys and Kylie stayed with me to say goodbye.’

Fiona rose to fame by appearing in shows such as Wombat, the puppetry successor to Agro’s Cartoon Connection. (Pictured with Aggro)

She described the excruciating pain she had suffered over the years and said she wanted to end the suffering.

‘Although I never wanted to die, the thought of leaving my tortured body was a relief. The past few months have been tough.”

She added that her death was on her own terms, after she told doctors not to treat her condition further.

“After much searching, I made the decision to discontinue all medical support and ultimately go to the hospital for end-of-life palliative care,” she wrote.

‘If you love life as much as I do, it takes a lot of courage to make choices that lead to goodbye. So let’s not call it goodbye, because I hope to see you again on the other side. See you then.’

Fiona rose to fame by appearing in shows such as Wombat, the puppetry successor to Agro’s Cartoon Connection.

She was also a favorite on many popular variety and lifestyle shows throughout her career, including Look Who’s Talking and In Brisbane Tonight.

Kylie and Fiona made headlines last year when they took a road trip together to raise money for MND. Their trip, which raised $200,000 for research, was later featured in an episode of Australian Story. (Pictured)

The showbusiness star, sister of longtime Hey Hey it’s Saturday star Jacki MacDonald, retired from the industry in the early 2000s to run her own wine consultancy.

She worked as a business development manager as well as PR and communications manager for wine marketers Fine Wine Partners.

Fiona left the organization in 2015 and set up her own PR consultancy Wine Chronicles that same year.

Fiona previously revealed she first noticed her motor neurone disease symptoms before 2021, when she was diagnosed.

MND causes nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord to gradually fail.

Because the nerves in the brain and spinal cord are affected, in the final stages the patient can no longer walk, speak and even breathe independently.

As the condition progresses, patients find that all of these actions become more difficult or impossible.

“I noticed in July that I was having difficulty speaking clearly, especially when I was tired,” she told the Sydney Morning Herald.

AFL great Neale Daniher is a well-known sufferer of MND and has done much in Australia to raise research funds and public awareness of the condition.

Fiona is survived by her two sons Harry and Rafe.