Turning old before their time
<p><span word="Sang">Sang</span> <span word="Zixuan">Zixuan</span> <span word="is">is</span> 7 <span word="years">years</span> <span word="old">old</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="his">his</span> <span word="brother">brother</span> <span word="Sang">Sang</span> <span word="Ziheng">Ziheng</span> <span word="is">is</span> 6 - <span word="yet">yet</span> <span word="they">they</span> <span word="look">look</span> <span word="like">like</span> <span word="old">old</span> <span word="men">men</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="children">children</span> <span word="suffer">suffer</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="rare">rare</span> <span word="early">early</span>-<span word="aging">aging</span> <span word="condition">condition</span>, <span word="or">or</span> <span word="progeria">progeria</span>, <span word="that">that</span> <span word="none">none</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="doctors">doctors</span> <span word="who">who</span> <span word="visited">visited</span> <span word="their">their</span> <span word="family">family</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="village">village</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="Luyi">Luyi</span> <span word="county">county</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="Henan">Henan</span> <span word="province">province</span> <span word="could">could</span> <span word="diagnose">diagnose</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="treat">treat</span>, <span word="said">said</span> <span word="their">their</span> <span word="grandfather">grandfather</span> <span word="Sang">Sang</span> <span word="Fayu">Fayu</span>.</p><p><span word="Both">Both</span> <span word="looked">looked</span> <span word="like">like</span> <span word="normal">normal</span> <span word="children">children</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="their">their</span> <span word="first">first</span> <span word="year">year</span>. <span word="Sang">Sang</span> <span word="Zixuan">Zixuan</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="plump">plump</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="healthy">healthy</span> <span word="when">when</span> <span word="he">he</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="born">born</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="Sang">Sang</span> <span word="Ziheng">Ziheng</span> <span word="could">could</span> <span word="speak">speak</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="few">few</span> <span word="simple">simple</span> <span word="words">words</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="time">time</span> <span word="he">he</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="year">year</span> <span word="old">old</span>.</p><p><span word="But">But</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="their">their</span> <span word="second">second</span> <span word="year">year</span>, <span word="things">things</span> <span word="changed">changed</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="boys">boys</span> <span word="developed">developed</span> <span word="skin">skin</span> <span word="conditions">conditions</span>, <span word="their">their</span> <span word="bones">bones</span> <span word="became">became</span> <span word="fragile">fragile</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="they">they</span> <span word="lost">lost</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="ability">ability</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="speak">speak</span>.</p><p><span word="The">The</span> <span word="family">family</span> <span word="took">took</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="children">children</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="many">many</span> <span word="medical">medical</span> <span word="agencies">agencies</span> <span word="nationwide">nationwide</span>, <span word="including">including</span> <span word="some">some</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="most">most</span> <span word="advanced">advanced</span> <span word="hospitals">hospitals</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="Henan">Henan</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="Northeast">Northeast</span> <span word="China">China</span>'<span word="s">s</span> <span word="Heilongjiang">Heilongjiang</span> <span word="province">province</span>, <span word="but">but</span> <span word="none">none</span> <span word="could">could</span> <span word="treat">treat</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="rare">rare</span> <span word="disease">disease</span>.</p><p>"<span word="The">The</span> <span word="doctors">doctors</span> <span word="just">just</span> <span word="gave">gave</span> <span word="my">my</span> <span word="grandchildren">grandchildren</span> <span word="some">some</span> <span word="physical">physical</span> <span word="checks">checks</span>, <span word="and">and</span> <span word="they">they</span> <span word="could">could</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="prescribe">prescribe</span> <span word="any">any</span> <span word="medicine">medicine</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="symptoms">symptoms</span>," <span word="Sang">Sang</span> <span word="said">said</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="children">children</span>'<span word="s">s</span> <span word="parents">parents</span> <span word="have">have</span> <span word="spent">spent</span> <span word="almost">almost</span> 600,000 <span word="yuan">yuan</span> ($95,000), <span word="mostly">mostly</span> <span word="borrowed">borrowed</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="relatives">relatives</span>, <span word="after">after</span> <span word="their">their</span> <span word="savings">savings</span> <span word="ran">ran</span> <span word="out">out</span>, <span word="seeking">seeking</span> <span word="medical">medical</span> <span word="treatment">treatment</span>.</p><p><span word="Their">Their</span> <span word="parents">parents</span> <span word="started">started</span> <span word="working">working</span> <span word="recently">recently</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="construction">construction</span> <span word="site">site</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="Tianjin">Tianjin</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="order">order</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="earn">earn</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="money">money</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="medical">medical</span> <span word="expenses">expenses</span>, <span word="while">while</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="boys">boys</span> <span word="live">live</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="their">their</span> <span word="grandparents">grandparents</span>.</p><p><span word="Sang">Sang</span> <span word="Fayu">Fayu</span> <span word="told">told</span> <span word="local">local</span> <span word="media">media</span> <span word="last">last</span> <span word="week">week</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="family">family</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="willing">willing</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="send">send</span> <span word="either">either</span> <span word="child">child</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="take">take</span> <span word="part">part</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="clinical">clinical</span> <span word="drug">drug</span> <span word="trials">trials</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="any">any</span> <span word="hospital">hospital</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="center">center</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="would">would</span> <span word="care">care</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="research">research</span> <span word="progeria">progeria</span>, <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="hope">hope</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="developing">developing</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="cure">cure</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="effective">effective</span> <span word="treatment">treatment</span>.</p>
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