TURNING 18 and taking the first steps into adulthood is a big step for any teenager – but for this girl the milestone birthday was an even more momentous occasion.
Here she was, surrounded by the people she loved, alive against the odds and brimful of plans for the future.
It wasn’t a scenario Beandri Booysen’s doctors could ever have predicted. She was born with the extremely rare genetic condition Hutchinson-Gilford progeria, which has made her age eight times faster than other kids, resulting in her being old before her time.
The disorder has also led to all sorts of health issues, prompting medical experts to warn it
