Siblings who are 'ageing 10 times faster' want to be longest living sufferers of rare genetic disorder
In the town of Diepenbeek, Belgium live a brother and a sister who are both battling a rare disease called progeria, popularly known as Benjamin Button disease. 20-year-old Michiel and 12-year-old Amber Vandeweert suffer from a rare genetic disorder which causes the human body to age 8 to 10 times faster than normal. The disorder is believed to affect only one person in eight million around the world and the Belgian siblings make up 2 of the 155 cases that are known to be alive right now.
Most of the patients who suffer from this condition die by the time they are 12 years old. The European siblings are already experiencing the problems associated with the disease and they have issues with their bones, teeth, and hair. The pair, however, has shown no sign of slowing down as the older brother Michiel loves racing around on his GoKart and Amber enjoys being a dancer.