The 18-year-old with a body which thinks it is 144

An 18-year-old woman who is trapped in an old and wrinkled body that is physically 144-years-old has begun drug testing for the extremely rare and fatal genetic condition that is causing her to rapidly age. Ana Rochelle Pondare, from Manila, Philippines, was diagnosed with progeria when she was five-years-old. The incurable disease, which affects just […]

An 18-year-old woman who is trapped in an old and wrinkled body that is physically 144-years-old has begun drug testing for the extremely rare and fatal genetic condition that is causing her to rapidly age.
Ana Rochelle Pondare, from Manila, Philippines, was diagnosed with progeria when she was five-years-old. The incurable disease, which affects just one in every four million people, has an average life expectancy of 14-years-old; at 18, Ana is already one of the oldest progeria patients in the world.
The bubbly teenager and her family appear on the TLC series Body Bizarre this week in a new episode that documents her journey to Massachusetts to take part in an international research trial, alongside fellow sufferer, Kim, who is eight-years-old, as medical experts seek to find a way to prolong, if not save, their lives.
The trial for a new drug called Lonafarnib is being carried out by the Progeria Research Foundation and Boston Children’s Hospital, where Anna has undergone several medical tests and met other children suffering from progeria, including Kim, who is also from the Philippines.
Progeria is formed by a genetic mutation which causes the cells of a patient’s body to malfunction, effecting the tissues and organs, and prompting children to age dramatically.
Ana has stopped growing and lost her hair, but she wears bandanas and wigs when she is working at her family’s market stall or going out with friends.
On average, children suffering from progeria die of heart disease when they are 14-years-old, however, Ana bravely continues to defy the odds.
As of July, there are 125 identified children living with progeria in 43 countries, according to the Progeria Research Foundation.
Culled from dailymail.co.uk