A woman battling a terrible autoimmune disease was able to experience her own “princess” moment before she takes the steps to end her own life via assisted dying.
Annie Holland’s life has been anything but ordinary since she was diagnosed with Autoimmune Autonomic Ganglionopath, a rare and serious condition that causes her immune system to attack her nervous system.
The disease isn’t always fatal, but Annie’s diagnosis came too late, and the side-effects and symptoms she lives with each day put into perspective how trivial the troubles most of us encounter really are.
The young woman is one infection away from sepsis, while a feeding tube malfunction could lead to starvation, and a ‘bone crumble’ could cause suffocation.
The past few months have been especially rough on Annie, who is shortly due to have life-threatening surgery that will see her undergo total teeth extraction and a bone graft because her jaw is crumbling.
Reportedly, she was in and out of hospital over Christmas as she battled constant infections.
In a recent social media post, Annie, 25, explained that for years she had told people she didn’t want a wedding or marriage, though had come to live in quiet grief as she watched people around her getting married and having children.
In November last year, it was revealed that Annie had been approved for voluntary assisted dying (VAD). She is fighting to stay alive, but has chosen VAD because she doesn’t want to face a slow, painful death when her body inevitably loses the battle.