Presenter Gareth O'Callaghan has vowed to "keep going" after his devastating diagnosis with the neurodegenerative disorder Multiple System Atrophy.
The 4fm host was a guest on Ryan Tubridy's show on RTÉ Radio 1 on Tuesday, where he discussed sharing his recent diagnosis on social media; his decision to step down from presenting, and the importance of "trying to keep everything within the day".
Unfortunately it's true. I woke this morning hoping it was all just a bad dream. As you may have read I have been diagnosed with MSA, a rare, progressive and incurable disease. But I remain positive and hopeful. Time to appreciate the things in life I could never find time for
— Gareth O'Callaghan (@GarethOCal) August 18, 2018
"A year ago I began to feel really unwell," he recounted. "I began to realise there were some changes happening and I was losing a lot of power in my left hand, that my left foot was beginning to drag, and it felt heavier than the right one.
"Then strange things would happen... I would notice if I was having mushrooms in the morning for my breakfast that I couldn't get the fork into the mushroom; I would have to use the right hand."
The radio veteran initially feared he had Parkinson's disease. After undergoing many tests he was told by doctors that it was, in fact, Multiple System Atrophy, which he described as a "Parkinson-ism".
Ryan is joined by broadcaster @GarethOCal to talk about his career and, sadly, his recent diagnosis of Multiple System Atrophy - a rare form of Parkinson's disease @RTERadio1 pic.twitter.com/aGkkjKa9QW
— Ryan Tubridy Show (@RyanTubridyShow) August 28, 2018
"What it does is it targets three very important areas of your brain and your central nervous system," the 57-year-old explained.
"What happens is over a period of time it begins to progress more and more rapidly. So it targets your movement in the same way that Parkinson's would, but it also targets the autoimmune system, which looks after your breathing, your swallow, your perspiration, your blood pressure, your bladder, your digestive system. Over a period of time it impairs them to the point where they no longer work.
"Basically, I think, the only way to put it would be you become immobile. There's no other way to explain it, really, other than that."
The broadcaster and author said he wanted to remain "optimistic, strong" and that he believes "exercise is key".
"It's not an easy thing to slow down," he told Tubridy. "In fact, many experts will say you can't slow it down. But that's where I think... It's the power of positive thinking, positive outlook, looking ahead, trying to keep everything within the day. The moment is what's keeping me balanced."
Admitting that the world can feel "like a very lonely place", he said he wanted to spend time "doing little things".
"I want to write," he said. "I want to go back to West Cork. I want to just spend time maybe getting to know a side of me that I didn't know before, if there is such a thing. I can take my music with me everywhere I go."
O'Callaghan said MSA "would prefer you just to lie down and do nothing".
"But I won't do that, either," he added.
At the end of the moving interview, O'Callaghan again sounded a note of defiance.
"I was actually asked by a couple of people last week, 'Are you scared of dying?' No! I'm not afraid to die; death doesn't scare me," he concluded.
"I just don't want to die. I want to live on and I want to keep living. Maybe with that positive kind of view - that I'm not going to let this thing, get that close to me for a very long time - hopefully I will be able to keep going."
