Hayley Okines
Encyclopedia
Hayley Okines is an English
girl with the rare aging disease progeria
who is known for spreading awareness of the condition.
Diagnosed in 1999, Okines was born with progeria
, a genetic disease that causes her to age eight times faster than the average person. This puts her projected lifespan to age thirteen. She frequently travels from England to Boston
to receive new treatments in the United States.
aired a special titled Extreme Aging: Hayley's Story, which focused on the balance of the disease being currently terminal but with a possible cure on the horizon. In England, a television documentary titled Extraordinary Lives also discusses Okines, her condition, and her options.
When she was ten years old, Okines was featured in "Hope for Hayley", an episode that was part of the English series Extraordinary People. The episode concerned Okines' trips to Boston for treatment.
She was featured in the second part of a three-part documentary series called Make Me Live Forever, in which presenter Michael Mosley
investigated a number of proposed treatments to enable humans to extend their lifespan. Okines was discussed in relation to telomere
s (short telomeres are a characteristic of Progeria) and their apparent role in the aging process.
She has also been featured in a report by Tara Brown
on the Australian version of 60 Minutes.
raised thousands of dollars through a charity raffle in Okines' honor. Additionally, after Steve Keens saw Okines on a television special, he bicycled 1000 miles (1,609.3 km) in England to support her.
Brian Bartlett, SRC Roadworks and Cultural Outreach Representative at Glasgow University is notable for his work with Hayley.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=345451472328&ref=mf On 5 December 2010 Hayley met Justin Bieber
. This was thanks to a group of people on Twitter
making Justin aware of Hayley.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
girl with the rare aging disease progeria
Progeria
Progeria is an extremely rare genetic condition wherein symptoms resembling aspects of aging are manifested at an early age. The word progeria comes from the Greek words "pro" , meaning "before", and "géras" , meaning "old age"...
who is known for spreading awareness of the condition.
Diagnosed in 1999, Okines was born with progeria
Progeria
Progeria is an extremely rare genetic condition wherein symptoms resembling aspects of aging are manifested at an early age. The word progeria comes from the Greek words "pro" , meaning "before", and "géras" , meaning "old age"...
, a genetic disease that causes her to age eight times faster than the average person. This puts her projected lifespan to age thirteen. She frequently travels from England to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
to receive new treatments in the United States.
Television appearances
Okines has been the subject of television specials both in Europe and in the United States. Discovery HealthDiscovery Health Channel
Discovery Health Channel is a website owned by Discovery Communications, created for people interested in health and wellness. Until December 31, 2010, it was a U.S. cable television specialty channel dedicated to television programming that highlights various aspects of health and wellness...
aired a special titled Extreme Aging: Hayley's Story, which focused on the balance of the disease being currently terminal but with a possible cure on the horizon. In England, a television documentary titled Extraordinary Lives also discusses Okines, her condition, and her options.
When she was ten years old, Okines was featured in "Hope for Hayley", an episode that was part of the English series Extraordinary People. The episode concerned Okines' trips to Boston for treatment.
She was featured in the second part of a three-part documentary series called Make Me Live Forever, in which presenter Michael Mosley
Michael Mosley
Michael Mosley is an American television and film actor, best known for playing Drew in the revamped version and final season of the American medical comedy Scrubs.-Early life:...
investigated a number of proposed treatments to enable humans to extend their lifespan. Okines was discussed in relation to telomere
Telomere
A telomere is a region of repetitive DNA sequences at the end of a chromosome, which protects the end of the chromosome from deterioration or from fusion with neighboring chromosomes. Its name is derived from the Greek nouns telos "end" and merοs "part"...
s (short telomeres are a characteristic of Progeria) and their apparent role in the aging process.
She has also been featured in a report by Tara Brown
Tara Brown
Tara Brown is an Australian television presenter. She was born in Sydney, NSW, Australia.On 25 October 2008, she gave birth to her first son, Jack Cooper.-Nine Network:...
on the Australian version of 60 Minutes.
Fundraisers
Although the United States' Progeria Research funds Okines' treatment, airfare for the family is left to them. Some athletes were inspired by Okines to raise money for progeria research. London's Chelsea Football ClubChelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
raised thousands of dollars through a charity raffle in Okines' honor. Additionally, after Steve Keens saw Okines on a television special, he bicycled 1000 miles (1,609.3 km) in England to support her.
Brian Bartlett, SRC Roadworks and Cultural Outreach Representative at Glasgow University is notable for his work with Hayley.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=345451472328&ref=mf On 5 December 2010 Hayley met Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber is a Canadian pop/R&B singer, songwriter and actor. Bieber was discovered in 2008 by Scooter Braun, who came across Bieber's videos on YouTube and later became his manager...
. This was thanks to a group of people on Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
making Justin aware of Hayley.