Sammy will be 20 this year! He is a very active and busy young man. Sammy attended a high school for high achievers who concentrate on the sciences. He plans to study nuclear physics at the University of Padova, Italy, starting in September. His favorite activities include acting (he is involved in theater), reading, painting, and hanging out with his friends. Last year, Sammy was featured in an Italian National Geographic Series, Il Viaggio Di Sammy, which chronicled his dream trip: travelling on Route 66 in the United States from Chicago to Los Angeles with his parents, Laura and Amerigo, and friend Richard. Sammy’s parents founded the Associazione Italiana Progeria Sammy Basso to raise awareness, fund research and provide support services to the families. Sammy is a spokesperson at foundation-related meetings, conferences and events. People in Italy can often see Sammy on TV or hear him on the radio on some of the most popular stations, where he also speaks of Progeria and the foundation’s activities. In February, 2015, Sammy started his very own public Facebook page, Sammy Basso, and he already has almost 20,000 followers!

When asked if there was anything else he wanted to express, Sammy said he wants people to know that kids with Progeria are normal and they have a normal life, and to remind people that contributions are always welcome – spoken like a true advocate for the children and the research!

Meet Adalia – she’s from Texas and has a personality the size of Texas, too! This 8 ½ -year-old sweetheart is widely known for her fun videos and special relationship with her mom, Natalia – her 14 million Facebook followers are proof of that!

Adalia loves to sing, dance, color, and play dress up. Adalia’s family and friends recently started PRF’s eighth Chapter, to raise awareness and funds for PRF. Follow Adalia and our Texas Chapter on Facebook and Twitter!

Brennen is a 6 year old boy from New York. He is very active, loves Ninja Turtles, his new puppy, and his little brother, Owen. Brennen’s family and friends started TEAM BRENNEN to help raise funds and awareness for Progeria, and their small town in upstate NY has rallied around the family. In July 2014, Brennen had his first Progeria Clinical Trial visit in Boston. His mom posted to Facebook how proud she was for the way Brennen handled all the testing! Keep up with this fun little boy and his great team on the Team Brennen Facebook page.

Zoey will turn 7 in September, 2017, and threw out the first pitch at a NY Mets game to celebrate!  During filming of LATS, she was about a year old.  She loves school and has lots of friends!  Zoey loves to draw, write, cut and paste, be silly, be with her best friends, help her mom cook, and especially loves gymnastics class!

Zoey also adores music, singing (her current favorite song is Uptown Funk), dancing, and the movie “Sing”.  Her favorite song from the movie is the gorilla singing “I’m Still Standing”!  She has 2 older brothers, Aidan and Gavin. They behave like typical siblings – they play together a lot but sometimes argue for no reason.

In July 2013 Zoey began taking lonafarnib as part of the Trial Expansion, and in April 2016, she and her friend Carly were the first to enroll in the new,  2-drug trial   As you saw in the film, Zoey’s parents were anxious for her to enroll in the drug trial, and they’re thrilled that she is now participating!  Her family leads PRF’s New Jersey Chapter, Team Zoey, which is helping PRF to raise the funds needed to pay for Zoey and the other new children entering the trial. Follow Zoey on Facebook and Twitter too!

Meet Claudia, from Portugal, who will turn 17 in October, 2015. Her favorite color is Blue, favorite school subject is Foreign Languages, and her favorite food is “Punched” baked potatoes with salted cod (In Portuguese it is “Batata á murro com Bacalhau”). She also loves music, dancing, and going out with friends. Catch up with this fun teenager on her Facebook page.

From Beandri’s Mother:

“Beandri is 10 years old, but already acting like a teenager! We’re from South Africa, where there’s only two kids with HGPS. She’s our little Angel and we’re blessed that God trusted us to raise her to be an inspiration to everyone who meets or knows her. She loves all girly stuff like a normal little girl of her age, especially make-up, dresses and looking pretty. She loves listening to music and singing along to her favourite songs. She is in the school choir and enjoys it tremendously. She loves her Yorkies, and has three older brothers who love her very much. Beandri sometimes struggles with the attention she gets, but if she’s comfortable, she’ll easily take over with a lot of enthusiasm. We believe the fantastic work that PRF is doing plays a big part in the fact that Beandri is still with us and a very healthy little girl.” Beandri has a Facebook group – Beandri, our Inspiration.

Enzo is an adorable boy from Australia who turned 5 in August 2016. He is a whirlwind – constantly in motion, smiling and always having fun. “He loves anything with wheels, Mario Kart and riding motorcycles” says his mother, Catherina. “He plays with his planes, Legos and builds tracks for his trains.” He spends time playing board games and making puzzles.  He goes to school full time and loves his teachers and friends, who help Team Enzo with their fundraising. Enzo is one of the youngest children so far to enroll in PRF’s Clinical Trial, coming to Boston in April, 2015 at age 3 for his first treatment. Enzo visited the PRF offices on his trip, and we saw firsthand how active and happy he is and his mother says, “Enzo is a big boy now who is full of life and extremely happy.”  The family also expresses their gratitude for all PRF has done for Enzo, so far!  His family started TEAM ENZO, participating in the last two ONEpossible Campaigns and helping spread awareness in Australia and around the world. See Enzo in motion and meet his family in this special video. You can also support Team Enzo on their fundraising page.

Cam is an active, sports-loving, almost 9-year-old! Cam’s favorites are the color blue, chocolate ice cream, pasta, math, gym, playing sports and video games. His favorite teams are the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Steelers. Cam’s family recently moved to the Pennsylvania area, and have merged with their family members to create Team Cam, one of our Pennsylvania Chapters. They hold exciting events to raise awareness and funds for Progeria research, including Cam’s Course and Purses for Progeria. To learn more about Cam, visit http://www.iamcam.org and follow him on Twitter. Watch Cam’s video to learn more about him and his family: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF_2sHztfwI

Josiah (nick-named “Bubby” because his little sister couldn’t pronounce “brother”!) is quite a character, whose love of baseball has captured the attention of sports fans everywhere. Josiah was featured in a 2010 segment of ESPN’s E:60, and has inspired many with his courage, including his very favorite player, Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies. Chosen by ABC as a  “Person of the Week” in 2011, Josiah continues to move people because, as his mom Jennifer says, “He didn’t let his condition stop him. He was placed here to touch people’s lives.” Josiah served as Honorary Bench Coach for the State College Spikes (A – Cardinals) baseball team, earning the 2015 Mitauer “Good Guy” Award for his contribution to their championship season and for being a generous, courageous and passionate human being away from the field. This heartwarming video shows how close the team came to their inspirational bench coach: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZQ1Yb7QdDo

Carly-Q, as she is affectionately called by friends and family, is an adorable, unstoppable bundle of energy! Carly enjoys DIY projects, making slime and caring for her numerous baby dolls.  She also loves watching and creating youtube videos. https://www.youtube.com/user/TeamCarlyQ

In 2012, Carly Cares, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization was founded to support progeria families and researchers. Their signature event is held in September called “Carly’s Party – for the Cure!”- an event that gets bigger each year!

Carly attends school and enjoys math. She loves Curious George and the movie SING!. In July 2013, Carly joined the Progeria Drug Trial, coming to Boston to enroll with her friend Zoey and in April 2016, they were the first to enroll in the new, 2-drug trial.  Click Here to watch a short video of her with Zoey in Boston.  Check out Carly Q on facebook.

Lindsay is a bundle of energy and all smiles! Lindsay is an extremely intelligent girl with a wild sense of humor and infectious laugh. She loves school, her friends, and her many hobbies, most of which include a lot of movement! Lindsay was featured with Hayley and Kaylee on the 2010 Barbara Walters 20/20 Special ‘7 Going on 70’. Visit her web site, LittleLindsay.com, to see lots of pictures and learn about her yearly event, Miles for Miracles, organized by PRF’s Michigan chapter run by Lindsay’s loving parents, supportive family and friends.

Hayley, a teenager from England with Progeria who captured the hearts of many, passed away in April, 2015 at the age of 17. Hayley won the prestigious Children of Courage Award and appeared in several documentaries and stories about Progeria. Read about her adventures on her website and in her books, Old Before My Time, and Young at Heart, about living with Progeria. “My life with progeria is full of happiness and good memories. Deep inside I am no different from anyone. We are all human.”

Nathan and Bennett are brothers with Progeria who live outside of Philadelphia, PA with their parents, older sister Libby, and dog Ruby. They both have a rare form of Progeria called Mandibuloacral Dysplasia (MAD) and have similar medical conditions to children with classic Progeria. Nathan (age 11) is in the fifth grade and Bennett (age 8) is in second grade.  Nathan is very cautious, responsible and academically minded.  He plays violin, trumpet and loves anything science related.  Bennett is more ‘carefree’ and gets away with a lot because of his charming smile and goofy personality.  He loves anything sports related and plays football for hours outside, regardless of the weather!  Both are obsessed with Star Wars, Minecraft and of course, their electronic devices!  Despite the differences in their ages and personalities, these two are best friends!  Their family and friends created “Fighting for Their Future”, a fundraising group to help raise awareness and funds for PRF. This group has now become a Pennsylvania Chapter for PRF! We are very excited and happy to work with them on their many events, including their signature, fun event  “Make a Splash for Nathan and Bennett”.  For more information on this dynamic duo please visit their website.

Kaylee “is such a happy little girl, it’s hard to feel anything but thankful God gave us such a beautiful and happy child” say her parents. Kaylee’s family and friends started PRF’s Ohio Chapter in 2006, and have had tremendous success with its signature event, Kaylee’s Course. Kaylee is quite the local celebrity and a very busy girl, with softball, cheerleading, karate, tap and jazz dance being some of her favorite activities! Keep up with Kaylee by joining her Facebook Group!

Zach, who turned 10 in January 2017,  lives in Lexington, Kentucky in the USA (Go Cats!) Zach loves the color yellow and is addicted to Minecraft videos. He loves traveling, being in the Cub Scouts and listening to classic rock and roll music. Zach excels in math and recess at school. He loves pizza, cheese bread, cheeseburgers and chicken fingers. Zach and his parents were guests (with Carly Q) on The Katie Show in June of 2014. Katie Couric is a devoted supporter of children with Progeria. Katie made Zach’s year by giving him the most awesome gift ever….tickets to his favorite rock band, Queen! Zach’s parents host several fundraisers yearly and formed the Kentucky Chapter of PRF in 2009.  Zach appears with NHRA Champion Erica Enders and motorcycle champion Kyle Wyman a Public Service Announcements, and his contagious energy and smile will brighten your day – follow Team Zach Attack and the Kentucky Chapter’s activities at www.zach-attack.org.

Meet Michiel, 18, who loves snowboarding and kart racing, computer games, hanging with his friends, DJ’ing, and “The Big Bang Theory”. His 11-year-old sister Amber loves to horse around with Michiel, gymnastics, dancing, the color green and and her mobile phone. Read about these very close siblings from Belgium on their multi-lingual site created with love by their parents. Learn through the detailed diary about their experiences living with Progeria, and the life of this wonderful boy and girl who bring so much joy to all who know them. You can also stay in touch with them on Michiel’s Facebook page.

Nihal from Mumbai, India, passed away in 2016 at the age of 15. Nihal was a big science fan who loved to paint. You can see some of his wonderful artwork on his Facebook page, TEAM NIHAL and on his Twitter, both still active by his Dad, Srinivas. One of Nihal’s greatest dreams was to ride in a Lamborghini-a dream that came true early in 2015 at Lamborghini Mumbai, who surprised Nihal for his 14th birthday. Nihal was a pivotal figure in the campaign #Finding60inIndia, part of PRF’s Find the Other 150 Campaign in partnership with India’s MediaMedic Communications.  It is estimated there are 60 children in India who we are looking to identify and connect with so that they can get the unique help they need, including participation in the PRF-funded clinical drug trials. Watch this video featuring Nihal for more information.