What is the "Find the Other 150" Campaign?
"As a parent of a child with Progeria, I don't want other parents to feel helpless in diagnosing and treating their child. The”Find the Other 150” Campaign will allow PRF to provide these children with life-changing treatments and connect them with local medical professionals and other families of children with Progeria."
- Dr. Leslie Gordon, Medical Director, PRF
Progeria, a rare, fatal, rapid-aging disease, is taking the lives of children around the world. All children with Progeria die of heart disease (heart attacks and strokes) at an average age of 13 years.
As of July 2010, we know of 67 children in 30 countries, living with Progeria. These children and their families and physicians have benefited from the programs offered by The Progeria Research Foundation, which has created a comprehensive network of research-related needs to promote advances in the field for all children with Progeria, including an ongoing treatment trial . But statistically, experts believe there are another 150 children worldwide who have Progeria but have not yet been diagnosed or identified.
Launched by The Progeria Research Foundation (PRF), the only non-profit organization solely dedicated to finding treatments and the cure for Progeria, the “Find the Other 150” campaign is designed to do exactly that. PRF is searching globally for the undiagnosed children with Progeria so that they too can have access to the unique care they need.
Nearly all children with Progeria have a similar appearance. Symptoms of Progeria include growth failure, loss of body fat and hair, osteoporosis, aged-looking skin, stiffness of joints, hip dislocation, generalized atherosclerosis, cardiovascular (heart) disease and stroke.
What you can do
If someone you know or a patient you treat has Progeria-like characteristics, please contact Audrey Gordon, President of The Progeria Research Foundation at agordon@progeriaresearch.org.