Australian Story on ABC and ABC iview profiles Fiona MacDonald – Much-loved TV personality Fiona MacDonald died on October 2 from MND, the disease she was diagnosed with in 2021 at the age of 64. She died a year after finishing filming on her Australian Story episode, which followed her “Thelma and Louise”-style road trip around Australia with her sister Kylie Thynne.
Fiona had been advised against making the trip, but she was determined to make the most of the time she had left and to raise money for research into the disease that was so cruelly robbing her of her speech and mobility. It was a heart-warming and emotional journey that was beautifully captured in her episode, and she ended up raising $225,000 for clinical trials and patient care.
With Fiona’s family’s blessing, Australian Story is revisiting that episode, which also includes her neurologist, Professor Dominic Rowe; her son, Harry Ryan; and her sister Jacki, another staple of Australian TV in the 1980s.
When Fiona died, her sister Kylie posted a final message from Fiona on Instagram, which ended with the words, “I carry your love and laughter with me and hope you’ll remember mine.” This encore screening is in honour of that memory.
Always free, Always entertaining, catch up on previous episodes of Australian Story on ABC iview.
Australian Story on ABC and ABC iview – Monday 28 October, 2024 at 8:00pm ENCORE
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Australian Story on ABC and ABC iview profiles Fiona MacDonald
