Rochelle, the girl who is 80 years old.

I was introduced to Rochelle Pondaro a few years ago by my friend Dennis Villegas a well-known journalist and scholar.

Rochelle is one of the 89 children around the world who are affected with a rare disease known as progeria which causes her body to age 7 to 8 times faster than normal. They are two cases known in the Philippines.

Children who are affected with progeria have an average life span of 13 years. A 10 year-old child with progeria may look like 80 year-old. Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome ("Progeria", or "HGPS") is a rare, fatal genetic condition characterized by an appearance of accelerated aging in children. Its name is derived from the Greek and means "prematurely old". While there are different forms of progeria, the classic type is Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome, which was named after the doctors who first described it in England; in 1886 by Dr. Jonathan Hutchinson and in 1897 by Dr. Hastings Gilford.

Although they are born looking healthy, children with Progeria begin to display many characteristics of accelerated aging at around 18-24 months of age. Progeria signs include growth failure, loss of body fat and hair, aged-looking skin, stiffness of joints, hip dislocation, generalized atherosclerosis, cardiovascular (heart) disease and stroke.

The children have a remarkably similar appearance, despite differing ethnic background. Rochelle is now 14 years old and just graduated from elementary school last March 30, 2012.

As she gets older, she experiences problems that older people get like arthritis, difficulties in breathing and severe tooth ache.

Rochelle is an incredible sweet, caring and friendly person. Her family is poor and her father left them when Rochelle was still a baby. Rochelle being the eldest is taking care of her siblings. If not of her different appearance Rochelle is like any other 14 year old. Playful and intelligent, she is attentive in school. The last time I met her she seemed more happy than usual. She was in love with one of her classmates who also seemed sincerely in love with her. I am glad that she can still experience these things before it may be too late..

Even if the odds and time are playing against her, I wish Rochelle a long life. Whatever the doctors may tell her about her sickness and her life expectancy I still hope she will continue fighting on the way she already has and follow her dreams.

My pictures were taken in the course of two years.