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Turning Back Time Essay

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Turning Back Time

Progeria, an extremely rare disease caused by a slight genetic defect, victimizes every 1 in 4 million children. , (3). At the moment, there are twelve cases of Progeria in the US, and no more than one hundred have been reported around the world. While the child suffering from Progeria will appear to have no symptoms at birth, the tell tale signs of the fatal disease will begin to surface within a few months, (1). The common first symptom of a child who may be a Progerian is that the ends of their shoulder bones will be re-absorbed into their bodies. Soon, he or she will be underweight and undersize for his or her age. Hair loss and dental decay will follow. The disease slowly eliminates body fat. Eventually the …show more content…

Since the likely cause of Progeria has been attributed to a glitch in genetic code, doctors and research scientists anticipate a cure. "It's not inconceivable that a basic treatment for Progeria could happen in the next two to three years," speculates Dr. W. Ted Brown, an expert in the study of Progeria, (2). Over $800,000 has been contributed to the Progeria Foundation. Because the disease is rare, most of the population was unaware that it even existed until articles were published in People Magazine, John Tackett (the oldest recorded survivor with Progeria at age fifteen) , (5) visited Maury Povich's daytime talkshow, and CNN discussed its tragic repercussions, (3). The supporters of the Progeria Foundation have been adamantly trying to make the public aware of its existence, in hopes to gain support and donations towards a cure. However, if a cure is on its way, will the children be merely survivors of a terribly unfortunate illness, or will they become milestones in a new theory about evolution?

A genetic mishap's ability to fast forward the process of aging is a scientific anomaly. Since Kindergarten, we have been taught of life's cycle. You are born, you become a toddler, child, teen, adult, have a midlife crisis, get old and wrinkley, and then you die. However, Progeria, with its one-gene-abnormality compresses all eight of those stages into thirteen years. What does this

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