|Children like 10-year-olds Meghan (left) and Sumaira, who
suffer from the premature aging disease Progeria, have a better
chance at survival thanks to clinical trials generated by the
Find the Other 150 campaign. Photo courtesy of The Progeria
Research Foundation Organization: Progeria Research Foundation
Timeframe: Oct. 2009 - Oct. 2010 Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria
Syndrome (“Progeria,” or “HGPS”) is a fatal genetic condition
characterized by an appearance of accelerated aging in children.
Its name is derived from the Greek language and means
“prematurely old.” Progeria is rare, with reported incidence of
about one in 4-8 million newborns. But that is no solace to the
children and families affected. All children with Progeria will
die of the very same heart disease that affects millions of
normal aging adults (arteriosclerosis), but at an average age of
13 years. As of October 2009, just 54 children in 30 countries
had been diagnosed with Progeria, but experts estimated that
another 150 children worldwide ha