Why I Fear Aging – Article by Hayley Harrison
Hayley Harrison
My mother had leukemia. I really loved her, and she really loved me. When I went to the supermarket at night, she asked me to hurry back, and said she was worried about me. She really enjoyed my company and talking to me. She could talk to me about things she couldn’t tell anyone else. It was like we were best friends. Even though my mom was 74 when she died. I was adopted when my mom was 51 and my dad was 57, so they were already older.
I was closer to her than to any member of my family. Since I lost her, I feel like I’ve lost everything. Aging made her really sick. I found out that the AML leukemia that my mom had mostly affects the elderly.
My father has been in hospital nearly two weeks. He had an operation to remove something on his lung. He’s been unwell for a few weeks now. His appetite has gone right down. He kept sleeping in the chair a lot because of the infection. He’s 81. He’s had tests to see if he has cancer, but we don’t know the results yet.
My friend told me that if my father hadn’t have had the biopsy, his chest infection would have turned into pneumonia, and that would have killed him. The antibiotics have not worked yet. So I keep thinking, “What’s going to happen to him?”. I love my father, too.
If anti-aging medicine were available now, the doctors could have treated my mother as well as my father. My mother’s leukemia was caused by aging, as I discovered. I’d love to be able to talk with my mother and father again.
I don’t want to get old, because I don’t want to get decrepit and sick. The thought of me being so shrivelled up like my parents have got terrifies me.
This is why I’m so motivated to cure aging. I’m trying to do everything I can. I keep hearing a lot that science to cure aging is underfunded. I share science articles and promote science. I’m writing this article to get the message out to all the people about getting aging under medical control.
There’s quite a few people trying to solve the aging problem. Aubrey de Grey and SENS are working on rejuvenation biotechnology. They are doing this by solving the seven deadly causes of aging. These include cell loss, junk inside and outside the cell, extracellular crosslinks, death-resistant cells, and cancerous cells.
Imagine a world where nobody gets old anymore, where everyone is young and healthy. Some people would like to do their favorite sports again, and currently they cannot because of aging.
If I lived forever, I would look to have more confidence. I would try to not be scared of people anymore.
If I were to live longer, I’d imagine I could hang out with a few of my friends in America. I enjoy fashion. I have always wanted to look like a model. I would have the time to select the best clothing and look fantastic.
Hayley Harrison is an Allied Member of the United States Transhumanist Party and the Nevada Transhumanist Party. She resides in the United Kingdom.