Archive · 20 Nov 2025
Australian Woman, 25, Chooses Assisted Dying After Decade-Long Battle With Rare Disease
Annaliese Holland, a 25-year-old Australian woman, is ending her life through assisted dying after suffering from a rare, incurable neurological disorder for most of her life.
Despite extensive treatments and hospital stays, she has decided she has 'had enough' and wants control over her final moments.
Annaliese Holland, 25, from Adelaide, South Australia, has chosen voluntary assisted dying after years of battling Autoimmune Autonomic Ganglionopathy (AAG)
AAG is a terminal neurological disorder affecting vital functions like heart rate, blood pressure, and digestion
Holland has experienced constant pain, nausea, daily vomiting, multi-organ failure, and other severe complications
She has survived sepsis 25 times and missed out on major life events due to her illness
Holland views her approval for voluntary assisted dying as a 'safety blanket' and a source of peace
- Who
- Annaliese Holland, a 25-year-old woman from Adelaide, South Australia
- What
- Has chosen voluntary assisted dying after battling Autoimmune Autonomic Ganglionopathy (AAG)
- When
- After years of living with the condition and extensive treatments
- Where
- In Adelaide, South Australia
- Why
- Due to the constant pain, nausea, and other severe complications caused by her incurable neurological disorder
Pro-Voluntary Assisted Dying
Against Voluntary Assisted Dying
Control over final moments
Pro-Voluntary Assisted Dying
Holland views VAD as a 'safety blanket' and a source of peace, offering her control over her final moments.
Against Voluntary Assisted Dying
Opponents argue that VAD devalues life and sends a negative message to vulnerable people.
- Condition
- Autoimmune Autonomic Ganglionopathy (AAG)
- Duration of Illness
- Since age 18, over a decade
- Treatment
- Extensive treatments and hospital stays
- Survived Sepsis
- 25 times
- Approval for VAD
- Three weeks after consulting with psychologists and completing assessments