On December 3 2011 teenager Hayley Okines was 14.
Nothing unusual about that, you might say?
But Hayley is unlike no other teenager. She is one of only 80 children in the world suffering from the rare genetic condition progeria, which means she ages eight times faster than the average person. It's a condition which affects one in eight million children and in medical terms she has the body of a 110-year-old woman.
The average life expectancy of progeria children is 13. Her best friend with progeria died at the age of 11. So Hayley never expected to see her 14th birthday. But thanks to her part in pioneering drug trials in America over the last four years, Hayley is now looking forward to her life as a young woman. In the new year she returns to Boston to take part in trials for a drug which has been dubbed 'the elixir of life' and which scientists hope could extend life for all humans.
To mark her special birthday, Hayley has launched her memoir Old Before My Time: Hayley Okines' Life With Progeria with Accent Press Ltd. In it Hayley and her mum Kerry, 37, describe the highs and lows of Hayley's full life, which has taken her to many places beyond the reach of a normal teenager. She has travelled the world and fulfilled many of her dreams which include meeting her pop idols Kylie Minogue and Justin Bieber, crocodile hunting with the late Steve Irwin and being a mascot for Chelsea Football Club. She even persuaded HRH Prince Charles to sign an autograph for her.
Now Hayley's dream is to become a best-selling author in time for her birthday and a Twitter campaign has been set up by her friends and supporters to get her into the book charts alongside her writing heroes. Hayley's book charted at number 11 on the Amazon best-sellers list last month on pre-order sales alone and is currently number one in its category on Amazon and No 1 in pre-orders on Play.com
Hayley says: 'I have always loved reading, so having a book about me is really cool. Writing my book has helped me to remember all the happy and sad times in my life.'
Here's what the celebs say:
'Hayley's an extraordinary girl' Kylie Minogue
'Hayley just lights up a room. She's so full of happiness she lights up a room'. Lorraine Kelly
'Hayley possesses one of the strongest life-forces we have ever encountered.' Richard & Judy
FACTFILE:
Hayley and her mum Kerry live in Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex, with her younger brother and sister, Louis and Ruby. Since the age of four Hayley has been the face of Channel 5's critically acclaimed Extraordinary People. Her films have aired to audiences of 1.7 million and by raising awareness of this cruel and incredibly rare condition she is now recognised wherever she goes. Her fifth documentary Hayley Okines: World's Oldest Teenager was broadcast on C5 last month.
Follow Hayley's blog hayleyokines.wordpress.com
Old Before My Time: My Life With Progeria by Hayley and Kerry Okines Published by Accent Press Ltd, 2011, price £9.99. ISBN: 978 1 9081 9255 4
Book review blog site, with some entertainment material from time-to-time.
Showing posts with label age. Show all posts
Showing posts with label age. Show all posts
Sunday, 4 December 2011
Tuesday, 21 June 2011
A long and healthy life? A new book might challenge what you know
We have been told that the key to longevity involves obsessing over what we eat, how much we stress, and how fast we run. Based on the most extensive study of longevity ever conducted, The Longevity Project exposes what really impacts our lifespan - including friends, family, personality and work.
This is the first time the general public has shown the findings of this incredible, decade-spanning study that began in the early 1920s
THE LONGEVITY PROJECT
Surprising Discoveries for Health and Long Life from the Landmark Eight Decade Study
By Howard S. Friedman, PhD and Leslie R. Martin, PhD
Published by Hay House, 4th July 2011, £10.99 pb
Gathering new information and using modern statistics to study participants across eight decades, Dr Howard Friedman and Dr Leslie Martin bust myths about achieving health and long life. For example:
- People do not die from working long hours at a challenging job – many who worked the hardest lived the longest
- Getting and staying married is not the magic ticket to long life, especially if you're a woman
- It's not the happy-go-lucky ones who thrive – it's the prudent and persistent who flourish through the years.
With questionnaires that help you determine where you are heading on the longevity spectrum and advice about how to stay healthy, this book changes the conversation about living a long, healthy life.
Howard S. Friedman is Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of California in Riverside, California. For three decades, Professor Friedman has studied personality predictors of longevity, developing a scientific understanding of the 'disease-prone personality' and the 'self-healing personality.' Leslie R. Martin is Professor of Psychology at La Sierra University in California.
LONGEVITY MYTHS:
The Longevity Project proves that most of the truisms about health and longevity are inaccurate; and even when they are true, it’s not for the reasons we expect!
Here are just a few of the longevity myths busted in this book:
• ‘You’ll worry yourself sick’: In reality worriers live longer; a healthy dose of concern about the future makes people more likely to be diligent about their health, which translates into years.
• ‘Look on the bright side’ It turns out that overly-optimistic people tend to put themselves in harm’s way—they just don’t see risks as clearly as people who are prone to caution/pessimism.
• Do you resolve every year to exercise more? Vigorous exercise can be detrimental to longevity. If you’re not a gym bunny, don’t sweat it—partaking in physical activities that you enjoy like gardening or walking actually are more beneficial to your health than high-impact exercise.
• ‘You’ll work yourself to death’: Hard workers actually live longer, even those with stressful jobs; being engaged and motivated keeps you alive.
• Married people live longer: Those in happy marriages do often live longer, but those whose marriages end in divorce actually have shorter life spans.
• Early education ensures higher level of achievement: Many children who are pushed into schooling before they’re prepared actually do not excel academically. In fact, drop-out levels are often higher in children who are put into school too early.
What do the experts say about this book?
‘The Longevity Project uses one of the most famous studies in psychology to answer the question of who lives longest - and why. The answers will surprise you. This is an important and deeply fascinating book.’
Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point
‘The content of this book will prove fascinating, not only to social, behavioral, and clinical scientists and practitioners and their students, but to the general reading public as well. The writing is crystal clear as it compels us to go on reading because we know that there will be an illuminating vignette as an example, or another fascinating finding, just around the corner, on the next page.’
Robert Rosenthal, Distinguished Professor of Psychology, University of California, Riverside and Edgar Pierce Professor of Psychology, Emeritus, Harvard University
‘Incredibly, no one until now has chronicled and interpreted the findings from the monumental almost century-long longevity project for the general public. Is living a long life associated with being married, daily jogs, having a pet, or faith in God? At last, with lucid prose and rigorous yet crystal clear analysis, Professor Friedman and Professor Martin have succeeded beautifully.’
Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph. D., professor of psychology at the University of California/Riverside, and author of The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want
‘Want to live longer? You’ve probably heard the common advice (don’t work so hard, think positive thoughts, eat your broccoli, etc.) As the fascinating analysis in The Longevity Project shows, much of this advice is wrong. Based on one of the longest-running longitudinal studies ever conducted, The Longevity Project describes, in its lively and accessible pages, the personality traits most common to those who lived long lives – and how to shape them in yourself. It’s a great read for anyone interested in the burgeoning research on psychology and health.’
Jean M. Twenge, author of Generation Me
‘A compelling and objective assessment of character traits associated with longevity. Only a handful of studies in this field last long enough to give meaningful results, and even fewer remain significant after their primary investigators have passed away. Friedman and Martin have resurrected a remarkable achievement with surprising conclusions. I learned a lot from this book.’
Andrew Weil, M.D.
This is the first time the general public has shown the findings of this incredible, decade-spanning study that began in the early 1920s
THE LONGEVITY PROJECT
Surprising Discoveries for Health and Long Life from the Landmark Eight Decade Study
By Howard S. Friedman, PhD and Leslie R. Martin, PhD
Published by Hay House, 4th July 2011, £10.99 pb
Gathering new information and using modern statistics to study participants across eight decades, Dr Howard Friedman and Dr Leslie Martin bust myths about achieving health and long life. For example:
- People do not die from working long hours at a challenging job – many who worked the hardest lived the longest
- Getting and staying married is not the magic ticket to long life, especially if you're a woman
- It's not the happy-go-lucky ones who thrive – it's the prudent and persistent who flourish through the years.
With questionnaires that help you determine where you are heading on the longevity spectrum and advice about how to stay healthy, this book changes the conversation about living a long, healthy life.
Howard S. Friedman is Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of California in Riverside, California. For three decades, Professor Friedman has studied personality predictors of longevity, developing a scientific understanding of the 'disease-prone personality' and the 'self-healing personality.' Leslie R. Martin is Professor of Psychology at La Sierra University in California.
LONGEVITY MYTHS:
The Longevity Project proves that most of the truisms about health and longevity are inaccurate; and even when they are true, it’s not for the reasons we expect!
Here are just a few of the longevity myths busted in this book:
• ‘You’ll worry yourself sick’: In reality worriers live longer; a healthy dose of concern about the future makes people more likely to be diligent about their health, which translates into years.
• ‘Look on the bright side’ It turns out that overly-optimistic people tend to put themselves in harm’s way—they just don’t see risks as clearly as people who are prone to caution/pessimism.
• Do you resolve every year to exercise more? Vigorous exercise can be detrimental to longevity. If you’re not a gym bunny, don’t sweat it—partaking in physical activities that you enjoy like gardening or walking actually are more beneficial to your health than high-impact exercise.
• ‘You’ll work yourself to death’: Hard workers actually live longer, even those with stressful jobs; being engaged and motivated keeps you alive.
• Married people live longer: Those in happy marriages do often live longer, but those whose marriages end in divorce actually have shorter life spans.
• Early education ensures higher level of achievement: Many children who are pushed into schooling before they’re prepared actually do not excel academically. In fact, drop-out levels are often higher in children who are put into school too early.
What do the experts say about this book?
‘The Longevity Project uses one of the most famous studies in psychology to answer the question of who lives longest - and why. The answers will surprise you. This is an important and deeply fascinating book.’
Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point
‘The content of this book will prove fascinating, not only to social, behavioral, and clinical scientists and practitioners and their students, but to the general reading public as well. The writing is crystal clear as it compels us to go on reading because we know that there will be an illuminating vignette as an example, or another fascinating finding, just around the corner, on the next page.’
Robert Rosenthal, Distinguished Professor of Psychology, University of California, Riverside and Edgar Pierce Professor of Psychology, Emeritus, Harvard University
‘Incredibly, no one until now has chronicled and interpreted the findings from the monumental almost century-long longevity project for the general public. Is living a long life associated with being married, daily jogs, having a pet, or faith in God? At last, with lucid prose and rigorous yet crystal clear analysis, Professor Friedman and Professor Martin have succeeded beautifully.’
Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph. D., professor of psychology at the University of California/Riverside, and author of The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want
‘Want to live longer? You’ve probably heard the common advice (don’t work so hard, think positive thoughts, eat your broccoli, etc.) As the fascinating analysis in The Longevity Project shows, much of this advice is wrong. Based on one of the longest-running longitudinal studies ever conducted, The Longevity Project describes, in its lively and accessible pages, the personality traits most common to those who lived long lives – and how to shape them in yourself. It’s a great read for anyone interested in the burgeoning research on psychology and health.’
Jean M. Twenge, author of Generation Me
‘A compelling and objective assessment of character traits associated with longevity. Only a handful of studies in this field last long enough to give meaningful results, and even fewer remain significant after their primary investigators have passed away. Friedman and Martin have resurrected a remarkable achievement with surprising conclusions. I learned a lot from this book.’
Andrew Weil, M.D.
(EDITOR: So a lot of what we think we know might not be wrong, but actually be detrimental to our well-being? This is fascinating stuff.)
To find out more about this book visit
To find out more about this book visit
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