Coming of Age

The word progeria comes from the Greek words pro and gēras, meaning "premature old age." With a life expectancy of around 15 years old, teenagers' bodies have effectively aged at an accelerated rate of 8-10 times the norm. Kaylee Halko just had her 22nd birthday. For The New Yorker, I spent a day with 22-year-old Kaylee Halko, who lives with progeria. She showed me her dance trophies, prom dress, scars, and X-rays—acknowledgments of the medical realities shaping her life, but not defining it. The experiences that stuck with me most were playing dress-up in her bedroom, laughing at her ceaseless humor, glitter eyeshadow tutorials, and singing to Milli Vanilli's hit song "Girl I'm Gonna Miss You." Getting to know Kaylee in this intimate and creative way has brought me so much joy and inspiration. Kaylee has love and support around her, and joy and peace within herself—in a way that restores some level of faith in humanity. This project came at a time in our world when we all desperately need something inspiring and hopeful to keep us pushing on, to not just survive, but to thrive.