Teen Dies With a 104-Year-Old Face

Hayley Okines was 17, but she looked incurably and prematurely old.

Last night, on facebook, her mother wrote that she has died. "My baby girl has gone somewhere better. She took her last breath in my arms at 9.39p.m."

It was followed by deeply felt tributes, according to Mirror.

Hayley had progeria, a premature, ageing disease, which left her with a 104-year-old's body. She had been informed that she would not cross 13 years.

Sufferers of progeria begin to display a condition, which include "growth failure, loss of body fat and hair, wrinkled skin and stiff joints at around 18-24 months and eventually die of heart disease (atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries)," according to yahoo.

But unbelievably, she managed to live for four years longer than predicted, against the predicted laws of the experts. Ever since 13 years, she wrote an autobiography called "Old Before My Time", along with a documentary series.

The Progeria Research Foundation, which stood by Hayley and her family, said: "The entire Progeria family mourns together with many as we say goodbye to Hayley Okines, our smart, beautiful and spirited English Rose, who passed away today at age 17. Gone from our sight, but never our memories, gone from our touch but never our hearts. We will miss you. We share one of our favourite photos of Hayley and her mum, Kerry. Thank you all for your kind thoughts."

On facebook, readers poured out their grief and shared loss.

Susan Luhrs said: "Hayley has her angel wings now. We knew she was an angel here on earth, and now she is out of pain and at peace.

"She has changed the world for the best and is now watching over her family."

"I watched the her documentary and thought she was an amazing young girl. Condolences to her family sleep tight Hayley."

The first six months of testing and diagnosis had not been able to identify the reason for her illness, until one biopsy showed that her skin lacked elasticity. One consultant said that they were probing "a rare gene mutation called Hutchinson-Gilford progeria." It confirmed that the patients would not touch puberty, and would, instead, die from age-related disorders before they reach teenage.

The progeria was confirmed in September 1999.

Kerry said: "I collapsed when I was told Hayley's life expectancy was 13 years. Mark and I went into emotional freefall and would sit up till 3am asking 'Why us?' We were on anti-depressants struggling to cope with the enormity of it and grieving for the loss of our perfect daughter."

Today, her family is grieving, but is coming round. Hayley is survived by her parents, Kerry and Mark, and her siblings Louis and Ruby.