‘I’m not afraid to die’: 4FM’s Gareth O’Callaghan on his incurable degenerative illness

Broadcaster Gareth O'Callaghan has opened up about his neurological illness, saying that he not afraid of dying.

The Classic Hits 4FM host was recently diagnosed with Multiple System Atrophy, a rare and incurable degenerative disease that affects the nervous system. Speaking to Ryan Tubridy on RTÉ Radio One, Gareth revealed that the symptoms first appeared last year. "Strange things would happen; I would notice in the morning that if I was having mushrooms for my breakfast I couldn't get the fork into the mushroom, I would have to use my right hand. "When I was cutting my toenails on my left foot, I had to use my right hand because my left hand wouldn't hold the scissors correctly." Thinking he'd had a stroke, he contacted his doctor. After numerous tests in hospital, he received his life-altering diagnosis.

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

The illness recently forced him to quit his afternoon radio show on Classic Hits, a move that he said "devastated" him. Gareth explained that his condition was expected to deteriorate as his MSA advances. "It targets your movement in the same way Parkinson's would, but it also targets the autoimmune system which looks after your breathing, your swallow, you perspiration, blood pressure, bladder, digestive system and over a period of time it impairs them to a point that they no longer work and basically you become immobile." Despite this, he said he's trying to remain positive. "I'm not afraid to die. Death doesn't scare me, I just don't want to die."