12- Year- Old South African Girl Battles Progeria , a Rare Premature Ageing Disease

Ontlametse Phalatse, from South Africa, is all of 12 years but looks like an old woman. She is suffering from a rare premature aging disease called Progeria. Infact, she calls herself the first lady as she happens to be the only black female known to be suffering this rare ageing disease.

Though she looked normal at birth, Phalatse began to get rashes on her skin when she was just three months. When she turned one year, she began to lose hair, nails and suffered a lot of problems with her skin.  She was diagnosed with the disease only when she turned two.

 Ontlametse and her mom travel to the United States during her vacation to participate in the research funded by the Progeria Research Foundation at Children's Hospital Boston. This provides her with the latest drugs to battle the disease.

Children with progeria do not survive very long and they usually die between the ages of 8-21.



Source-Medindia