Gene Krupa
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Poor buggar has MND.
She was an afternoon TV star for a generation of kids. Now she’s asking for their help
For an entire generation of Australian children in the 1980s, Fiona MacDonald was an undisputed star, appearing on an afternoon show called Wombat with an angry, wise-cracking hand puppet named Agro, along with her prime-time gig on the hilariously camp physical challenge game show It’s a Knockout.
And so was her sister Jacki, who had also become a household name as Daryl Somers’ sidekick on Hey Hey It’s Saturday, along with another smart-mouthed puppet, this time a pink ostrich named Ozzie.
While the MacDonalds left the spotlight years ago to raise families and pursue careers outside the media, Fiona is hoping enough of those kids – now aged in their 40s and beyond – will remember her to help raise money and awareness to combat a deadly disease to which she refuses to surrender.
In November 2021, MacDonald was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND), and over the past two years it has mercilessly attacked the muscles that control her ability to move, speak, breathe, swallow, and ultimately live.
“I noticed in July that I was having trouble speaking clearly, particularly if I was tired. 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,” MacDonald explained via email, given her difficulty speaking.
“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.
“This has driven my sense of urgency to do something that matters, to try to help others who have, or will, get MND. The only answers will come from research and trials, so I’ve decided to attempt a last grand adventure in the spirit of It’s a Knockout – a 15,000-kilometre drive around Australia – with a target of $100,000 to support the work of neurologist Professor Dominic Rowe – a leader in his field.”
Rowe is working to fund a $2 million world-first trial at Macquarie University to test a novel compound, developed in Australia, called Copper-ATSM, to see if it can redress the imbalance of metals that occurs in the brain of patients with familial MND or sporadic MND.
MacDonald had already raised $25,000 toward her goal before she even got out of the driveway on Thursday to start the epic journey. Joining her in the adventure, which has been green-lit by her medical team, and which she anticipates will take around six weeks, is sister Kylie Thynne, who will be her main support for driving, along with various friends. Son Harry has volunteered to drive the Broome to Katherine leg, and her other boy, Rafe, is also planning to assist.
“At first I dealt with my diagnosis with black humour … While I could laugh I did, as much as possible. The fear set in for me when I suddenly started to have moments when I couldn’t talk at all. My throat would just close and I could barely squeak,” MacDonald explained.
“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?
“The best thing about this challenge is that suddenly I have my power back. I feel good, a touch weak, but so very good. So many people have already donated, with such love and kindness, I feel happy and amazed.”
www.smh.com.au
Looks like she may have the fast version of MND.
She was an afternoon TV star for a generation of kids. Now she’s asking for their help
For an entire generation of Australian children in the 1980s, Fiona MacDonald was an undisputed star, appearing on an afternoon show called Wombat with an angry, wise-cracking hand puppet named Agro, along with her prime-time gig on the hilariously camp physical challenge game show It’s a Knockout.
And so was her sister Jacki, who had also become a household name as Daryl Somers’ sidekick on Hey Hey It’s Saturday, along with another smart-mouthed puppet, this time a pink ostrich named Ozzie.
While the MacDonalds left the spotlight years ago to raise families and pursue careers outside the media, Fiona is hoping enough of those kids – now aged in their 40s and beyond – will remember her to help raise money and awareness to combat a deadly disease to which she refuses to surrender.
In November 2021, MacDonald was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND), and over the past two years it has mercilessly attacked the muscles that control her ability to move, speak, breathe, swallow, and ultimately live.
“I noticed in July that I was having trouble speaking clearly, particularly if I was tired. 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,” MacDonald explained via email, given her difficulty speaking.
“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.
“This has driven my sense of urgency to do something that matters, to try to help others who have, or will, get MND. The only answers will come from research and trials, so I’ve decided to attempt a last grand adventure in the spirit of It’s a Knockout – a 15,000-kilometre drive around Australia – with a target of $100,000 to support the work of neurologist Professor Dominic Rowe – a leader in his field.”
Rowe is working to fund a $2 million world-first trial at Macquarie University to test a novel compound, developed in Australia, called Copper-ATSM, to see if it can redress the imbalance of metals that occurs in the brain of patients with familial MND or sporadic MND.
MacDonald had already raised $25,000 toward her goal before she even got out of the driveway on Thursday to start the epic journey. Joining her in the adventure, which has been green-lit by her medical team, and which she anticipates will take around six weeks, is sister Kylie Thynne, who will be her main support for driving, along with various friends. Son Harry has volunteered to drive the Broome to Katherine leg, and her other boy, Rafe, is also planning to assist.
“At first I dealt with my diagnosis with black humour … While I could laugh I did, as much as possible. The fear set in for me when I suddenly started to have moments when I couldn’t talk at all. My throat would just close and I could barely squeak,” MacDonald explained.
“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?
“The best thing about this challenge is that suddenly I have my power back. I feel good, a touch weak, but so very good. So many people have already donated, with such love and kindness, I feel happy and amazed.”
She was an afternoon TV star for a generation of kids. Now she’s asking for their help
It’s a Knockout host Fiona MacDonald was an undisputed star of primetime television, and now she’s taking on her biggest challenge yet.
Looks like she may have the fast version of MND.
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