SKIN DEEP
I age 8 times faster than other people, I only realised something was wrong when my hair and teeth fell out in my 20s
A WOMAN who ages eight times faster than normal only realised in her twenties, when her hair and teeth fell out.
Tiffany Wedekind, from Ohio, says as she grew up she realised she was developing differently to other girls.
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Tiffany, who’s divorced and runs her own home decor business, only grew to four foot five.
She told : “It was when my hair started to fall out and I lost my teeth in my early twenties that my doctor started to wonder about me.”
But it was only when her brother, Chad, started thinking about having a family that the condition was revealed, after he went for genetic testing to see if he had anything which could be passed on.
The entire family sent off a DNA sample, and the results showed both Tiffany and Chad had progeria, which she said was “pretty much unheard of”.
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Progeria is a rare genetic condition which is caused by a faulty gene on the mother’s side.
There are only 179 people in the world living with progeria, and those with the condition are usually diagnosed around the age of two, and have a life expectancy of 15.
The next oldest person with progeria, aside from the Wedekind’s, was Margaret Casey, from Connecticut, who died aged 29 in 1985.
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At age 43, Tiffany has exceeded her life expectancy by miles, and while she’s the oldest person living with progeria, she’s also the oldest survivor in history.
But sadly the condition claimed Chad’s life in 2012, when he was just 39 years old.
Tiffany said seeing her brother pass away inspired her to live life to the fullest, adding she was just “simply lucky to still be here”, and is “blessed”.
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Tiffany admitted she’s a ‘medical marvel’, as she said: “I age much quicker than everyone else and to be honest, I’m not sure why I’ve lived so long and outlived other people with progeria.”
She credits taking good care of herself and yoga for her long lifespan, adding she goes on bike rides and tries to stay active, saying she’s trying to “live life to the full”.
Tiffany has not only outlived doctor’s expectations, but she also doesn’t appear to suffer from the cardiovascular or skeletal problems people with progeria often develop.
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But she exhibits a lot of the other characteristics of progeria, including the classic narrow face, smaller lower jaw, beaked nose and a high-pitched voice.
And Tiffany also ages much faster than her peers, displaying premature wrinkles and she’s also lost her teeth, and now wears dentures.
She revealed that she usually receives nasty comments while out and about, as people comment on her height and appearance, while some people mistake her for a child.
Tiffany has also recently started taking a new drug, called Lornafarnib, which is thought to slow the ageing process.
She said: “I know I am a medical anomaly and I am lucky to be here, but I still feel like I have lived my life as good as anyone else.”
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