Meghan

Meghan is a confident, persistent, creative young woman living in western Massachusetts. Her love of writing stories and poems led to her poetry being selected for publication in Stone Soup Magazine when she was 13 years old. She joined her school orchestra in seventh grade, and when she learned they would need a cellist in eighth grade, decided to fill that need, teaching herself to play the instrument.

Meghan is a member of her high school cross country and track teams. She competes in 5K races, the 100-meter dash, and the long jump. With all of the training, she helps support the work of the Progeria Research Foundation (PRF) by participating in their annual 5K road race.

Meghan has Progeria, a rare, fatal, “rapid aging” condition that afflicts children who die of heart disease at an average age of 14 years old. There are less than four hundred people living on Earth with this condition, for which there is no known cure. Meghan has been participating in clinical drug trials with the PRF for ten years in order to help find the cure. Meghan loves all kinds of small critters. She lives with two gerbils, two birds, and a tortoise. Sometimes when responding to comments regarding her size, Meghan has been known to say, "Sure I'm small, but so are poison dart frogs!”
~William, Meghan’s Dad

Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome

Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome is a genetic condition characterized by the dramatic, rapid appearance of aging beginning in childhood. Affected children typically look normal at birth and in early infancy, but then grow more slowly than other children and do not gain weight at the expected rate. They develop a characteristic facial appearance including prominent eyes, a thin nose with a beaked tip, thin lips, a small chin, and protruding ears. Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome also causes hair loss, aged-looking skin, joint abnormalities, and a loss of fat under the skin. This condition does not affect intellectual development or the development of motor skills such as sitting, standing, and walking. People with Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome experience severe hardening of the arteries beginning in childhood. This condition greatly increases the chances of having a heart attack or stroke at a young age. These serious complications can worsen over time and are life-threatening for affected individuals.

Artist: Jota Leal