because he has a rare disease which makes him age eight times faster than
normal. Ali Hussain has seen five of his siblings die from the same condition
called Progeria which is known to affect just 80 people worldwide.
Two of his brothers and three of his sisters have died from the disease in
Bihar, the poorest state in India. Progeria causes rapid ageing and sufferers of
the genetic disease are prone to arthritis, eye problems, heart disease and
baldness.
Sufferers are not expected to live much beyond the age of 14 - but despite
the grim prognosis Ali has refused to give up hope. 'I very much want to live
and I hope there is medicine for my condition out there.
I'm not scared of death but my parents have suffered a lot,' he
said.'I'd love to
live much longer for them. I don't want to burden them with any more pain.
