“He never let MND get him down, even when he knew what was coming.”

Zoe MacDonald, 18, from Oban, will take on an incredible 10,000 feet skydive challenge in St Andrews on 27 June 2026 in honour of her firefighter uncle, Brian MacDonald.

The challenge, to help raise vital funds for MND Scotland, takes place on the same week as Global motor neuron disease (MND) Awareness Day on 21 June, and Zoe hopes to pay tribute to her uncle Brian, a much‑loved firefighter and former football coach, who was diagnosed with MND on his 42nd birthday in 2019.

Brian grew up in Oban before moving to Glasgow. He dedicated more than thirteen years to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service as a firefighter in Govan, Glasgow.

He was one of the first firefighters to attend the scene following the helicopter incident at the Clutha bar in Glasgow’s City Centre in November 2013.

Following his MND diagnosis, Brian moved back to Oban, meaning he could be closer to his family.

MND is a rapidly progressing terminal neurological illness, which stops signals from the brain reaching the muscles. This causes muscle weakness and wasting. MND can rob someone of the ability to walk, talk, swallow and breathe.

The average life expectancy of someone with MND is just 18 months from diagnosis. There is no cure or meaningful treatments.

What began as weakness and pain in Brian’s arm escalated quickly.

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.”

Zoe was just eleven when she heard the news about her uncle.

“Our family had never heard of MND”, she said. “We had no idea what it was. I remember my dad telling me it was severe and that he wouldn’t survive it.”

The disease progressed quickly . Zoe said: “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.”

At just eleven years old, Zoe became one of Brian’s most loyal companions during his illness: “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.”

Zoe describes her uncle Brian as a man who filled every room he stepped into: “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 on 15 July 2020, six days after Zoe’s 13th birthday. “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 death was devastating not only to his family, but also to the people in his local community: “At his funeral, the whole street was packed,” Zoe said. “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.”

Throughout his diagnosis, Brian remained hopeful: “He never let it fully get him down. He was always joking, even when he knew what was coming. He stayed himself as long as he could,” Zoe said.

The community rallied around Brian, helping to fund essential equipment that was difficult to access quickly.

Last year, Zoe completed the Run the Runway 5K with a colleague, raising more than £1,000 for MND Scotland. But the skydive, she says, feels different.

“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.”

Reflecting on what her uncle would say about her taking on the skydive, she said: “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.”

MND Scotland would like to thank Zoe for her support and for taking on the challenge. If you would like to donate and support her challenge, please visit: https://www.justgiving.com/page/zoe-macdonald-1

If you would like to make time count for families affected by MND and take on a challenge to help raise funds, please visit www.mndscotland.org.uk or email: fundraising@mndscotland.org.uk for more information.