02/19/2026
I had no idea that February was Heart Health Awareness Month. I want to share Adalia’s story and a brief summary of what she went through. She was diagnosed with progeria at 3 months. They told me that the leading cause of death in children with progeria was stroke/ heart attack/heart failure. They also told me that the average lifespan of a child with progeria was 13, Adalia had just turned 15 when her heart failed her. (literally sobbing while I type this) I haven’t talked about this ever because I never wanted progeria to define my baby girl and it never did. As the years went on and through all her check ups they told us that the progeria was in fact causing minimal damage to her arteries/ heart, but in 2018, after they scanned her heart, they took me to a separate room and showed me the scans. They told me that her heart and arteries had significantly worsened. My heart shattered in a million pieces and I sobbed. I remember feeling so scared and panic had set in. I knew at that moment that time wasn’t on our side. When I walked back in the room that Adalia was in, I knew she saw how red my face and eyes were. She asked me if I was ok. I was in fact not ok and I blamed it on Ryan and said we had gotten into an argument 🤣💀 Hey! Don’t judge! I wanted to protect my baby girl and didn’t want to put fear in her heart. After that trip to Boston her health started to decline faster than normal. Her vision and hearing got worse. Her stamina had also been compromised. I noticed her not wanting to walk as much. There’s so many nights that I just sobbed and begged to the skies for her healing. It was so hard watching her little light dim. I will say it never went fully out because up until the day she passed she was SASSY! There’s so much to miss about her but the thing I miss the most is all the “abuse” she did to me 🤣 Anyone that is close to us knows what I’m talking about. With all that being said, Adalia lived a very happy and crazy life. She LIVED! She lived with progeria and still conquered so much. I’m so proud of that girl. We need to make sure we are living guys. Not just here, but actually LIVE. Take care of yourself and your hearts. Listen to your body. Move your body. If you are capable of movement don’t take it for granted. Adalia would want you to, I know that for sure!
P.S. F$&K YOU PROGERIA
