45-Year-Old Ohio Woman Living In 83-Year-Old Body

An Ohio woman is battling a rare disease that causes her body to age rapidly, according to WKBN News.

45-year-old Tiffany Wedekind of Columbus is living in a body of someone twice her age due to Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome. She is the longest living person with the disease, which causes people to age rapidly. Individuals with the disease often don't live past their teenage years.

FOX 8's Stefani Schaefer sat down with Wedekind to speak about how the disease has transformed her life.

"I'm an interesting character," Wedekind began. She started the interview by speaking about her childhood. She recalled being a "busy body" who "couldn't sit still." She participated in a variety of sports, including softball, basketball, cheerleading and tennis, but early on in her life, Wedekind knew something was different. "I wasn't developing like my friends, the way the world reacted to me was different than everyone else," she shared.

Wedekind has gained a fair amount of notoriety through posting on social media, and she shared the reasoning behind why she decided to share her story on the internet. "I'm doing it to show people I have a million reasons to be insecure, and I don't have one that is holding me back from inspiring other people to show themselves and just be themselves and live life," she explained.

Check out the full interview below.