Courage of girl who ages eight years in 12 months

Just like her friends, Hayley Okines is looking 今後 to 最初の／主要な school.

The 勇敢に立ち向かう four-year-old, who loves Kylie Minogue and swimming, will sit 負かす／撃墜する with her new classmates for the first time in a few weeks.

But Hayley is ありそうもない to 完全にする her schooling.

A rare 病気 means she ages eight years every 12 months and is 推定する／予想するd not to live beyond her 13th birthday.

She is one of only five people in Britain, and 100 世界的な, known to を煩う the 加速するd ageing 条件 Progeria Syndrome.

At an age when other children are growing and have only just developed their milk teeth, she has lost most of her hair and has the slightest of 人物／姿／数字s.

Her 内部の 組織／臓器s 含むing her heart and 肺s are at the same 行う／開催する／段階 as those of someone 老年の 32.

The 条件 also means that her veins show through all over her 団体／死体 借りがあるing to her thin 肌.

But she 辞退するs to let anything get her 負かす／撃墜する.

'We told her that if people 星／主役にするd at her on the street, she was 許すd to stick her tongue out - which she does with 広大な／多数の／重要な 楽しみ,' said her mother Kerry Button, 28, at the family home in Sidley, 近づく Bexhill, East Sussex.

'She just gets on with life and takes it all in her stride. She's a very 去っていく／社交的な little girl. She's got lots of friends and she's looking 今後 to school. I think we are more bothered about it than she is.'

When Hayley was 診断するd in October 1999, her mother felt her 'whole world fell apart'.

But her father, 40-year-old 示す Okines, gave up his 職業 as a carpenter and since then the couple have 充てるd themselves to keeping Hayley happy and 主要な as normal a life as possible.

'Before we knew what she had, I was always panicking about her,' said her mother. 'It is 平易な to tell that something is wrong now but 支援する then she had a 十分な 長，率いる of hair and her nose and 注目する，もくろむs were les s protruding.

'Her 肌 gets tighter and tighter and her 共同のs become arthritic. Most of the youngsters with the 条件 die because of heart attacks, just like in old age.'

Hayley now has a baby brother Louis, born in June, who appears to be 解放する／自由な of the ageing syndrome.

Her mother 追加するd: 'We are 明白に 関心d as Hayley could 苦しむ a heart attack at any moment but the school will train at least two teachers to を取り引きする that, if it happens. Doors have also been 緩和するd in the school so Hayley can open them as she isn't very strong.

'The only trouble we're having is trying to find a school uniform. She only 重さを計るs 22lb and is 3ft tall, so getting one small enough is 証明するing difficult.'

Hayley's story will be 最高潮の場面d in a TV 文書の 驚くべき／特命の／臨時の Lives, on Channel Five this autumn. A 基金 for her can be 接触するd on 01435 883742.