My name is Carrie Raymond and I’m raising money for a dear friend of mine, Annaliese Holland — known to many as Annie.

My hope is that this fundraiser will give Annie and her family something they’ve rarely had: time together to make memories, without financial pressure dictating how that time is spent.

About Annie

At just 15 years old, Annie was diagnosed with a rare and devastating autoimmune neurological disease called Autoimmune Autonomic Ganglionopathy (AAG) — a condition that attacks the body’s autonomic nervous system, affecting digestion, heart rate, blood pressure and vital organ function.

Since then, her life has been defined by hospitals, excruciating pain, loneliness and harrowing uncertainty. There is no cure, and her condition is terminal.

What Annie lives with every day

Annie has endured countless life-threatening procedures and surgeries, lived with invasive tubes that keep her body alive, and suffered extreme side effects from the very medications she depends on to survive.

Much of her teenage and adult life has been spent in hospital rooms, fighting severe complications and pain no child (or adult) should ever have to face.

For more than a decade, Annie has received all of her nutrition through TPN (Total Parenteral Nutrition) — a central line in her chest that feeds directly into her bloodstream.

Dauntingly, after years of collapsed veins, if this line becomes infected, there are no viable veins left to replace it. This would ultimately lead to starvation, meaning Annie lives every day knowing the next infection could be fatal.

Annie has survived sepsis 25 times, lives with chronic, debilitating pain, has suffered multi-organ failure, severe osteoporosis and fractures, and has missed out on so many milestones most of us take for granted, simply because she was fighting to stay alive.

On 26 January 2026, Annie will turn 26. And the reality is — it will likely be her last birthday.

A choice no one should have to make

Knowing her illness will eventually take her life, last year Annie made the deeply personal and incredibly difficult decision to apply for Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) — something that is extremely hard to qualify for.

This decision was not made lightly. It came after years of extreme pain, suffering, exhaustion, and countless conversations with her family and medical team.

For Annie, applying for VAD was not about giving up — it was about regaining control. For once, she wanted the choice to do things on her own terms, in a controlled, calm environment, with dignity, peace, and love surrounding her.

Annie is brave, resilient, selfless and inspirational. She is one of the funniest, most intelligent and thoughtful people I have ever known.

Even while carrying more than most of us could ever imagine, she continues to show up with warmth, compassion and genuine care for everyone around her.

Once a radiant, joyful and stunning young girl… now, Annie barely recognises herself.

Why I’m asking for help

Asking for help does not come easily to Annie or her family. In fact, Annie’s natural instinct has always been to give, not receive.

Rather than accepting help for herself, she has consistently used her story to raise money for other charities — even while quietly struggling behind the scenes.

In her own words:

“I’ve always believed in money helping a big group of people rather than just one person (being me). Because we are all out there fighting horrible battles and hard times.”

But the reality is — not all battles look like Annie’s.

Over the past few years, the emotional and financial toll on her family has become immense. Annie has shared how heartbreaking it is watching her loved ones work relentlessly just to cover medical and living costs, while knowing the time left with her is heartbreakingly limited.

No parent should have to choose between paying bills and being present with their child.

For once, Annie deserves to be put first. And for once, she needs to accept the help being offered.

This fundraiser is about lifting the financial burden so Annie and her family can focus on what truly matters: being together, creating memories, and surrounding Annie with love in whatever time she has left.

What the funds will help cover

Donations will help with the very real, ongoing costs of Annie’s care, including:

Beyond the medical bills

Because of Annie’s nature, she is also trying to ensure everything is organised and paid for when the time comes, so her family does not have to shoulder the added stress of funeral or celebration-of-life costs while grieving.

More than anything, Annie would love her dad not to be working 10–12 hour days, but instead be able to spend that precious time with her, and, if her health allows — maybe even take one last family holiday together. (The Hollands have not been away as a family since before Annie was diagnosed over ten years ago.)

And, (she’d never advertise this), but Annie has her own little bucket list (which she calls her ‘f*#k it list’) — a handful of things she’d love to experience before she passes. I would love nothing more than for this to help make some of these moments possible.

How you can help

If you’re able to donate, no amount is too small. Even $20 helps cover a single Uber trip to one of Annie’s many appointments.

If you’re unable to donate, sharing this page far and wide can make an enormous difference.

Please take a moment to imagine what it would be like to endure procedures and pain beyond belief for over a decade, knowing you’re fighting a battle you simply cannot win.

No family should have to watch their child suffer like this — they need as much love, support and relief as we can send their way.

Thank you for your kindness, compassion and support towards this truly selfless, brave and incredible human.

To know Annie is to love her. And loving her means showing up when it matters most — by embracing the young girl whose little body has fought harder and longer than it ever should’ve had to.

Carrie xx

*More of Annie’s journey is documented on her instagram @annaliese_holland