A 17-year-old who became an advocate for people suffering from progeria, a rare genetic condition that made her age about eight times faster than average, died Thursday.
Hayley Okines died at her home in England's East Sussex, the Associated Press reported.
Okines published an autobiography "Old Before My Time" at the age of 14. The Progeria Research Foundation said she was one of the first participants in a clinical trial that helped develop the first treatment for progeria.
The Progeria Research Foundation said the rare and fatal genetic condition affects about 1 in 4 to 8 million newborns. Most die at an average age of 14 from heart disease.