Home / Health / Woman, 25, Chooses Medical Aid Amid Rare Disease Battle
Woman, 25, Chooses Medical Aid Amid Rare Disease Battle
20 Nov
Summary
- Annaliese Holland, 25, chose medical aid due to a rare terminal neurological disease.
- She suffered debilitating pain and multi-organ failure for years.
- Approved for Voluntary Assisted Dying, she found relief from suffering.
Annaliese Holland, a 25-year-old from Adelaide, South Australia, has made the profound decision to end her life with medical assistance. She had been living with a rare and terminal neurological disease since childhood, experiencing debilitating pain, frequent hospital stays, and reliance on an IV feeding tube for a decade.
The condition, autoimmune autonomic ganglionopathy, was diagnosed when she turned 18. It affects the nerves controlling vital bodily functions, leading to severe gastrointestinal issues, multi-organ failure, and numerous sepsis episodes. Despite enduring chronic pain and the limitations it imposed on her life, Holland found a sense of peace in her choice.
After a rigorous three-week evaluation, Holland was approved for Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD). She views this choice not as giving up, but as a brave decision to stop enduring constant suffering and to die on her own terms, finding relief from the daily anxiety of pain and illness.
