Gilford Progeria Essay

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My decision to do a research paper about Progeria is to bring awareness of this tragic rare disease. I was intrigued when I first heard about this illness which was unbeknownst to me. I read an article then viewed some videos about Hayley Okines who resided in the United Kingdom and suffered from Progeria. It’s appalling how much she endured in her short life living with this debilitating disease. Hayley went on numerous talk shows and wrote several books to continue raising awareness about Progeria. Sadly, Hayley lost her battle with Progeria when she succumbed to the disease on April 2, 2015 at 17 years old. What is Progeria? What is the cause of Progeria? What are the signs and symptoms of Progeria? What treatments are available and is there a cure? The word Progeria comes from the Greek words pro meaning before or premature and geras meaning old age. Progeria also known as Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS) is a rare genetic disorder that causes children to age prematurely. The syndrome is …show more content…

Even though Progeria was first described in 1886, the lack of medical information and resources dedicated to Progeria inspired the parents of Sam Berns, who was diagnosed at 22 months with the disease in 1998 to start The Progeria Research Foundation. The Progeria Research Foundation (PRF) was founded in March 1999 by Doctor Leslie Gordon and Doctor Scott Berns to help bring awareness and research Progeria. The Progeria Research Foundation is the only non-profit organization in the world dedicated to Progeria research. Since the foundation’s inception, strides have been made by detecting what causes Progeria. The amount of testing and drugs children with Progeria has to take is insurmountable. Even though children with Progeria have a short life span, the morale of these kids is high where they live life to the

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