SHE wears clothes for a six-year-old, is only 1,1m tall and weighs a fragile 12,7kg – but don’t be fooled: she’s 100% teenager.
Her white T-shirt is branded, her smartphone is always nearby and when she doesn’t agree with her mom – well, everyone knows about it.
Beandri Booysen will celebrate her 14th birthday on 20 November and her mom has suggested she have a big party. But she hasn’t made her mind up yet. She might just go to her favourite restaurant with a friend.
But make no mistake, there’s plenty to celebrate. Beandri is one of only 125 people worldwide with Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome, which causes those living with the condition to age four to eight times faster than their peers.
The average life expectancy of progeria patients is 14 – which makes this birthday a major milestone for Beandri.
The teenager is in fine form when we meet her and her mom, Bea (48), at their Pretoria home. Shané Marais (19), Beandri’s cousin and best friend, is here too.
Beandri’s dad, Pieter (48), works in the motor industry and her youngest brother, Ruben (21), is studying to be a flight attendant. Older brothers Jaco (30) and Herman (29) have left home and also work in the motor industry, in Pretoria and Johannesburg.
Shané is studying towards a BCom at the University of Pretoria but lives down the street and sees her little cousin as often as she can.
“We talk about everything that’s happening in our lives,” Beandri says.
Shané’s company has become all the more precious since Beandri, who’s in Grade 8, is now home-schooled and doesn’t see the friends she made at primary school (YOU, 22 June 2017) so much anymore.
Bu hikaye YOU South Africa dergisinin 31 October 2019 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye YOU South Africa dergisinin 31 October 2019 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
HOW TO BE YOUR OWN THERAPIST
With more and more of us struggling with our mental health, here's a common-sense guide to coping with life's ups and downs
SPUD: THE MAGIC CONTINUES
John van de Ruit tells us why he decided to write a sequel - and shares how his first book helped him find enduring love
SEX CONTRACT GONE WRONG
A Cape Town couple have been charged with using a young woman as a sex slave-but some say she lost the job she signed up for and now has a grudge against them
LIAM LAID TO REST
More than a month after One Direction singer LIAM PAYNE (31) tragically fell to his death from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, his loved ones finally got to say their goodbyes.
SHILOH HANGS OUT
THE two young women look like any pair of good friends chatting and laughing as they leave their dance class in Los Angeles.
LEO IN LOVE
He's just turned 50 and it seems Leonardo DiCaprio may finally be ready to settle down
PACKING A PUNCH
Irish actor Paul Mescal beefed up for his role in the blockbuster epic Gladiator II - and fans are loving it
I DIDN'T CHOOSE TO BE A LOVE CHILD
As the illegitimate daughter of the king, she fought to be recognised as part of Belgium's royal family, but Princess Delphine says she still feels unwelcome
'I STILL HAVE NIGHTMARES'
A bite from a spitting cobra 13 years ago nearly killed her but Mikayla survived - and she's made peace with her scars
THE CLAWS ARE OUT!
Things have grown frosty between the Beckhams and the Sussexes as Becks comes out in clear support of William
