'She touched hearts': Teen with rare premature aging disease dies at 18 - New York Post

She touched their hearts so much with her willpower,” Phoebe Louise Smith told Kennedy News of her loss.

The 36-year-old’s daughter, Ashanti Smith, died Saturday from complications stemming from Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome, a rare congenital condition that causes the sufferer to age eight years for every year of their life.

The aberration also causes severe heart problems, mobility issues and other complications associated with aging, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Despite having the body of a 144-year-old, Phoebe said her baby girl refused to let her ailment break her “loud and beautiful” spirit while she was alive.

“It didn’t affect her heart, her willpower or the way she felt about herself — she felt beautiful every day,” said the proud mother.

However, whenever one of the gals offered to get Ashanti a drink, “She’d say, ‘I’ll get it — what are you treating me different for?’ ” said Phoebe, who added, “She was very strong.”.

Unfortunately, while the progeria syndrome didn’t affect her will, it did impact “her mobility and she had heart disease” and arthritis, according to her devastated parent.

Shaine [her father] brought her home because she said she wanted her mother, [then her condition worsened].”.

The plucky gal officially died of heart failure and natural causes, according to Kennedy News.

“It’s going to be a party,” said Phoebe of the extravagant life celebration

Unfortunately, there is currently no cure for progeria syndrome