An 18-year-old is preparing for a 10,000ft skydive in memory of her late uncle.
Zoe MacDonald, from Oban, will tackle the incredible challenge on Saturday, June 27, in St Andrews to help raise vital funds for MND Scotland.
Taking place during the same week as Global Motor Neuron Disease (MND) Awareness Day, the challenge honours Zoe's uncle Brian MacDonald, a firefighter and former football coach, who died from MND in 2020.
Brian, originally from Oban, dedicated more than 13 years to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, serving in Govan, and was among the first responders at the scene of the 2013 Clutha bar helicopter tragedy.
Diagnosed with MND on his 42nd birthday in 2019, Brian returned to Oban to be closer to family.
Zoe said: “He kept going back and forth to the doctors because his arm was thinning and getting weaker.
“At first, they thought it might be a deficiency, but after months of tests, he got the diagnosis, on his birthday of all days.
“Our family had never heard of MND.
“We had no idea what it was.
“I remember my dad telling me it was severe and that he wouldn’t survive it.
“It took both his arms, both his legs, then his voice.
“Losing his voice was one of the hardest parts for him; he always said if he lost his voice, he wouldn’t feel like himself anymore.
“Every day after school, I would drop my bag in at home, get changed, and run straight over to where he was living, which was just across the road at the time.
“I helped his carers, helped him eat and drink, and helped him with the voice-recording computer, but he never got to use it.
“I just wanted to be there with him.
“My uncle was the biggest character.
“Everyone knew him.
“He had the biggest personality.
“Anywhere you went, whether it was Oban, Glasgow, or even just to the shops, someone would recognise him.
“He always made friends.
“He was just that type of person.”
Brian died in July 2020, just six days after Zoe’s 13th birthday.
Zoe said: “On the day of my birthday party, my uncle spoke with my dad and said he wasn't feeling well, so he couldn't attend the party.
“I considered cancelling it because I wanted my uncle there.
“I wanted to be with him.
“However, my dad told me it would break my uncle's heart if we cancelled the party.
“So, we went ahead with it, but I left early to go to my uncle's house to spend time with him.”
Brian’s passing was a devastating loss to both his family and the people in his local community.
Zoe said: “At his funeral, the whole street was packed.
“I’d never seen anything like it in my life.
“People were everywhere, inside, outside, lining the road.
“It showed just how loved he was.”
Since Brian's passing, Zoe has been determined to raise money to help fund research into MND.
Last year, she completed the Run the Runway 5K, raising more than £1000 for MND Scotland.
Now, she is ready to take on a completely different challenge.
Zoe said: “A 5K is hard, but a skydive is something completely new.
“It’s terrifying, exciting, and the unknown.
“It feels like the right way to honour my uncle.
“Nothing compares to the fear my family and I went through when my uncle was diagnosed.
“A skydive doesn’t even come close, but that feeling of not knowing what’s coming, that’s why it felt right to do this type of challenge.
“He’d be shouting, ‘What on earth are you doing?!’
“But I know he’d be proud.
“He’ll be with me the whole way.”
To support Zoe's fundraiser, visit www.justgiving.com/page/zoe-macdonald-1.
For more information on MND Scotland, visit the charity's website or email: fundraising@mndscotland.org.uk.
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