DISEASE.....Apart from the disease, Hayley Okines also writes about pop-star crushes and hating school in her autobiography.
SHE has a rare disease called progeria, which turns little kids old before they can reach their teens, and doctors say little Hayley Okines would not live past 13.
The girl from East Sussex, England turned 14 last December and celebrates with a published autobiography called Old Before My Time, which was co-written by her mother, Kerry.
"Mum says I am one in eight million because my condition is so rare," Hayley says in her book.
The teen has participated in a three-drug trial of lonafarnib, "a cholesterol-fighting pravastatin and the osteoporosis drug zoledronate". Results show that Hayley's cheeks are fuller, skin healthier and a heart with no deterioration to her arteries.
Hayley is on board for a four-drug trial that adds everolimus to enhance cells ability to get rid of progerin.
Because of the meds, Hayley feels more positive and says: "I feel like I have a future to plan. I think that maybe when I grow up, I will get married. Mum says it will have to be someone very special to see beyond my progeria."
Hayley is among 89 children in 32 countries living with the disease that ages the body eight times the normal rate. Progeria leaves skin papery and thin, and bones fragile, with her organs threatened by diseases typical of elderly folks.
Patients suffering from the disease would usually die of a heart attack or stroke at an average age of 13. (Mail Online)
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