Living With a Rare Condition, a 25-Year-Old Faces One of Life’s Hardest Decisions

Warning: This article discusses sensitive medical choices that some readers may find emotional.

A 25-year-old Australian woman has shared her deeply personal journey as she faces a rare and life-limiting medical condition.

Annaliese Holland opened up about the illness that has required round-the-clock care for most of her life.

Her condition is so severe that she can no longer eat food in the usual way. Instead, she receives nutrition through a specialized method that goes directly into her body.

Even so, Annaliese says she still experiences the feeling of hunger when she smells or sees food, but cannot physically eat due to her condition.

Her diagnosis is extremely rare. Though not always life-limiting, in Annaliese’s case it has become very serious. The condition is called autoimmune autonomic ganglionopathy (AAG), and only around 100 people in the US are diagnosed with it each year.