Aging Too Fast: Ky. Boy Faces Progeria

March 17, 2008— -- FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - If he's lucky, Zach Pickard will live pastthe age of 13.

Zach, now 13 months old, suffers from Hutchinson-GilfordProgeria Syndrome, a disease that accelerates the aging processwhen the child is 18-24 months old.

Children with this syndrome die of heart disease at an averageage of 13 after aging at a rate six to eight times faster than anaverage person. Approximately 100 cases have been formallyidentified in medical history and the odds of being diagnosed withit are roughly one in 8 million.

But, for now, Zach is like any other baby, learning to walk, saywords like "mama" and "papa" and making his family laugh withfunny faces. With his messy blonde hair, big blue eyes andinfectious smile, Zach attracts attention wherever he goes.

"He yaks with strangers when we're in restaurants and he drawspeople to him," said his mother, Tina Pickard of Lexington. "Ifyou meet him you love him."

Zach was 2 months old when his parents first realized somethingwasn't right with their boy. They took him to the doctor forunexplained skin bumps.

For nine months, Brandon (Bill) and Tina Pickard went fromdoctor to doctor looking for an answer. Then, they ran across Dr.Ann Lucky, a pediatric dermatologist in Cincinnati.

Lucky was the first physician to suggest Zach be tested forProgeria. Like most physicians, Lucky had never diagnosed thedisease before, but she Zach exhibited enough of the symptoms towarrant a test.

"At first we didn't believe this was possible because of therarity of the syndrome," Tina Pickard said. "But I knew by theend of the day, after looking at information on the Internet, thatthis is what he had."

Exactly six weeks later, Zach was diagnosed with Progeria. Ittook some time, but the family came to accept Zach's diagnosis.

"We realized God had chosen to bless us with this baby. And weare honored. Truly honored," Tina Pickard said.

Right now, Zach is young enough that he isn't showing manyphysical symptoms. As he grows, however, the recognizable traits ofProgeria will begin to show up: limited growth resulting in a shortstature, hair loss, a small face, thin skin and a loss of body fat.

Now, the Pickards are trying to raise money and awareness of therare disease that afflicts Zach.

Because heart disease is the number one killer in America,finding a cure will not only help children like Zach, but it mayprovide keys for treating millions of adults with heart disease andstroke associated with the natural aging process.

Researchers recently discovered the cause of Progeria in 2002.They believe it is caused by a mutation in the gene called LMNA,which makes the Lamin A protein. The defective Lamin A proteinrenders the nucleus of a cell unstable and that cellularinstability appears to lead to the process of premature aging.

Zach's aunt, Kristin Pickard, organized a recent fundraiser inFrankfort, with the money going to the Progeria ResearchFoundation. Tina Pickard hopes that through this fundraiser, morepeople can know and understand the disease.

"Honestly, at the end of the day we have to be able to look atourselves in the mirror and say that we've made a difference,"Tina Pickard said. "We want to educate people and create awarenesswithin the community that this foundation needs money."

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Information from: The State Journal

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)