ORLANDO, FLORIDA - Thirty-two children and young adults from 17 nations are in Orlando this week for the Sunshine Foundation's 20th annual progeria reunion. <br>
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The five-day progeria reunion which -- runs until Wednesday -- lets the children frolic in swimming pools, put on a talent show and be with other children like themselves. <br>
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But the fun has been somewhat tempered with the death of one of the participants -- 20-year-old Greg Mercer, from Warner Robins, Georgia. Greg died over the weekend from complications related to his illness. <br>
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People with the rare genetic disease progeria suffer from arthritis, brittle bones, aged-looking skin and a drastically shortened life span. It afflicts one child out of every eight million children worldwide. <br>
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The exact cause is unknown, but it is believed due to a single abnormal gene. There is no cure, or even a specific treatment.
