Share

Happy birthday, Beandri! Pretoria girl with progeria celebrates her sweet sixteen

accreditation
Share your Subscriber Article
You have 5 articles to share every month. Send this story to a friend!
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
loading...
Loading, please wait...
0:00
play article
Subscribers can listen to this article
Beandri Booysen with her parents, Pieter and Bea. She recently celebrated her sixteenth birthday with 160 guests. (PHOTO: Supplied)
Beandri Booysen with her parents, Pieter and Bea. She recently celebrated her sixteenth birthday with 160 guests. (PHOTO: Supplied)

Young people stream into the venue, clad in smart dresses and suits. Fairy lights are strung from the ceiling and music is pumping from the speakers.

The teens make their way to the girl at the centre of the venue. Her turquoise dress shimmers as she twirls around the dancefloor with her friends, her Rapunzel-like locks cascading down her back.

It’s only when you get closer that you can see the signs of age on her body and face. Her skin is as thin as parchment, and she weighs just 12kg.

Read this for free
Get 14 days free to read all our investigative and in-depth journalism. Thereafter you will be billed R75 per month. You can cancel anytime and if you cancel within 14 days you won't be billed.
Try FREE for 14 days
Already a subscriber? Sign in
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()