Annie Holland, a woman who has chosen to end her life using assisted dying, shared a day wedding day to remember with her family.
Annie has spent years battling Autoimmune Autonomic Ganglionopath, a rare condition where her immune system attacks her autonomic nervous system. While the disease isn’t always fatal, Annie’s diagnosis came too late, and her reality is a daily high-wire act.
She is described as being one infection away from sepsis, one feeding tube malfunction from starvation, and one bone crumble from suffocation, per News.com.au.
Even during the hair and makeup session, she had to stop to inject powerful medication into her frail body just to push through the pain enough to breathe.
Despite all this, Annie battled through it all to share in a day of celebration with her family.
Annie Holland’s Instagram Post: Her Own Words on the Moment
In an Instagram post, Annie shared more of what sat underneath that day - explaining that for years she told people she didn’t want a wedding or marriage, and that she now sees it as a way of protecting herself from a future she knew wasn’t possible.
She wrote about the quiet grief of watching others around her get engaged and have babies while knowing those milestones weren’t waiting for her.
She also described the dress experience as one of the “rights of passage” she placed on her 'f*#%k it list' - something she wanted not only for herself, but as a gift of happiness for her family.
She called the day beautiful, heartbreaking, and healing at once, and said it came at a time when she feels she is “slowly losing more of what makes” her feel like herself.
Annie shared that she is awaiting surgery to remove all her teeth, and that her jaw has started to dissolve, writing that she will lose her jaw at some point and that it has been deeply distressing - making the timing of the dress fitting feel even more meaningful.
She also credited the team at Adelaide Bridal Collective, naming Emma Lewis and Faith Luke, and said they were “honored” to help.
Annie wrote that the day included hair, makeup, and the chance to try on wedding dresses - allowing her to give her dad a memory of seeing his daughter on her wedding day.
She added that it felt good to feel comfortable and pretty, and described the experience as a rare break from being defined by illness - writing that she felt like a normal 26 year old.
Annie also thanked news.com, Cyd and Gav, Hair by Hayley Goode, and said her makeup was done by Rhiannon Le Brun at Flawless Contour.
She closed by thanking her loved ones for sharing what she described as a special, sacred moment, and said the moment with her dad is something she will cherish “forever and ever.”
Finally, she wrote that she can now tick it off her f*%k it list - and shared what she hopes to experience next: watching a baby be born and to be able to hold it.
The Real Reason This “Rite of Passage” Mattered to Her Family
For Annie, the dress wasn’t just about seeing herself in a gown - it was about giving her family something rare: a joyful memory attached to her, rather than another hospital room moment, per News.com.au.
“Trying on a wedding dress is not just for me, I think it’s a rite of passage for your whole family,” Annie explains as she looks through the racks of gowns.
She spoke directly about everything she has missed - milestones many families assume are guaranteed.
“You have your children and you want to see them have their 18th, their 21st, watching them get married, I didn’t have any of those things. So it’s nice to be able to give my family that experience and a positive memory," she said.
And she said it mattered especially for her father, who got to experience the part many dads dream about.
“It’s important for Dad. Usually the preparations are all about the girls, women, your mum but walking a daughter down the aisle, that’s the one part the father gets to do that’s so special.”
Annie didn’t shy away from what’s coming, either - she framed the day as something her loved ones will hold onto after she’s gone.
Annie said: “Like I always say, ‘when I’m gone I’m gone’. I will be happy and peaceful but it’s everyone else that continues to live on and feel sad so to be able to leave them with a memory and something to talk about and pictures of this day, that is something happy and it is really really special.”