Little Hayley Okines The Oldest Looking Teenager

Little Hayley Okines was told that she would not live beyond the age of 13. The youngster suffers from a rare disease called progeria, which turns children old before they have reached their teens. However, having reached her 14th birthday she has defied all odds, and to celebrate she has published her autobiography.

Progeria takes its name from the Greek word "proeros" meaning prematurely old, and involves a mutant protein called progerin that accelerates physical ageing. It ages the body at eight times the normal rate, leaving Hayley with skin that is thin and papery and bones that are fragile. Progeria patients normally die from heart attacks or strokes at an average age of 13.