Hayley Okines has died at age 17 from a genetic disorder that caused her body to age eight times faster than normal
HAYLEY Okines died from a rare condition that caused her body to age eight times faster than normal. Now her friend will complete her bucket list which has an Aussie request.
HAYLEY Okines has died after she made world headlines with her rare genetic condition that caused her body to age eight times faster than normal.
The young British teenage girl from East Sussex died at age 17, after she lost her battle with Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome.
The crippling disorder is characterised by the dramatic, rapid appearance of ageing beginning in childhood, and is reported to occur in one in four million newborns worldwide.
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, the National Institute of Health reports.
It also causes hair loss, aged-looking skin, joint abnormalities, and a loss of fat under the skin . While it does not disrupt intellectual or motor skills development such as sitting, standing, and walking, people with the disease experience severe hardening of the arteries from childhood. It greatly increases the chances of having a heart attack or stroke at a young age.
Okines had used her diagnosis to increase awareness about her condition.
Originally, she was told she would not live past 13 years of age. But she defied the odds, and celebrated four more years of life.
Hayley also met her idol Justin Bieber face to face a year before her 13th birthday, after a campaign was started on Twitter.
At the time, her mum Kerry said: “When she saw him she just screamed and attracting attention from everyone in the hotel!”, the UK Mirror reports.
She even published an autobiography titled “Old Before My Time,” when she turned 14, in which she explained how she copes with the syndrome.
Hayley, who turned 17 on December 3, left school in 2014 and started college the following September.
She had recently been in hospital where she battled pneumonia on both lungs and though she returned home on Thursday, April 2, Hayley passed away later that night.
Hayley’s mother Kerry announced her passing on Facebook, saying: “She took her last breath in my arms at 9.39pm x”.
Her father Mark told the BBC: “She came home for an hour. She saw her puppies, she saw her little brother Louie and sister Ruby.
“I think she wanted to come home to say goodbye to everybody.”
Her friend Courtney will now complete everything on Hayley’s bucket list in memorium.
One of the wishes Hayley had was to meet Australian band 5 Seconds of Summer, and “tell them they’re idiots, hug them forever :)”.
In memory of my beautiful best friend Hayley I am going to complete everything on her bucket list! ⤠pic.twitter.com/C5ktCn7oWa
— Courtneyyy (@CourtneyDade) April 3, 2015Thousands of celebrities and fans who followed Hayley’s story have posted their tributes to Facebook and other social media platforms.
The Wanted’s Nathan Sykes tweeted:
Heartbroken to hear about Hayley Okines. One of the sweetest people I have ever met with such a big heart. Gonna miss you Trouble. RIP xxx
— Nathan Sykes (@NathanSykes) April 3, 2015Girls Aloud singer Nicola Roberts posted:
Very sad to learn that Hayley Okines has passed away.. I had the privilege of meeting her a couple of times.. She was truly a light..
— Nicola Roberts (@NicolaRoberts) April 3, 2015During her life she also got to meet the late ‘Crocodile Hunter’ Australian Steve Irwin and singer Kylie Minogue among many other stars.
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