ONTLAMETSE Phalatse (18) has never let hardship stand in her way.
The young woman from Hebron, outside Mabopane in Tshwane, has once again made her family proud after passing matric.
Ontlametse said she was in and out of hospital for three months before her year-end examinations, this time with heart complications.
Ontlametse was the first black child in the world to be diagnosed with progeria, a rare disease that makes the body age rapidly.
Doctors did not think she would live to see her 14th birthday, but she turned 18 in May.
She said she wants to be a life coach and motivational speaker.
“I will devote myself to making children courageous,” she said.
In 2013 she went to the US to try new medication.
Since then she has been flying to the country for medical examinations and progress reports.
She made her way into the hearts of many South Africans when she appeared on e.tv’s 3rd Degree a few years ago. She has been getting a lot of support locally and internationally since she appeared on the show.
When the SunTeam visited her family, her mum was also not well and did not want to talk.
