By Jessica Costello
SteelerNation.com
There's 162 children around the world diagnosed with progeria. Progeria is a genetic disease that is extremely uncommon and creates symptoms that resemble aspects of aging that are manifested at a shockingly young age. To put it simply, it makes those people look ages older than they actually are.
Cam Howard is one of those 162 children who lives close to Pittsburgh, making him a classic "yinzer" and a huge Pittsburgh Steelers fan at that. But can you guess his favorite Steelers player? It probably isn't as hard as you think.
When talking to KDKA’s Kristine Sorensen, Cam revealed his favorite player was the one and only, Cam Heyward. How fitting, right? Sorensen then reached out to the team to try and find a way for the two of them to meet.
And they did.
Cam Heyward greeted 13-year-old, Cam Howard, who is smaller than four feet tall with a wide grin.
“Cam, how are you doing?” Heyward asked. “What’s up buddy? You know what my name is?”
Heyward and Howard have a bit of a size difference which was quite apparent when they met face to face. But the differences didn't seem to matter when Howard chatted with his favorite football player.
“It was pretty cool having the same name as me,” Howard said. “He’s like seven feet tall. He’s pretty tall.”
But Heyward wasn't the only Steeler to greet Cam, as he was overflowed with autographs for his football and fist bumps. Cam also got an exclusive tour of the Steelers facility on the South Side, spending quality time with Heyward.
Howard acts just like any other seventh-grader intellectually, but his body just doesn't treat him that way because of the defect in his DNA.
“I’m 13 now, and my body is like 70 years old,” he said.
Cam also likes the Pittsburgh Penguins, another Pittsburgh staple. He plays sports, video games and likes throwing around the football with friends and family.
“Just because I have this disease isn’t going to like make my life horrible,” Howard said. “I’m actually almost like lucky. You know, I have the same personality of what I want to be,” Cam says.
From all of the procedures, bumps, and bruises, Cam's overall toughness could contest with some of these Steelers players. Cam's dad acknowledges his son's toughness, knowing that progeria gives someone an average lifespan of 14.
“Knowing that times a little bit shorter, there’s a lot of things we’ve done sooner than we would have, or maybe we’ve done things we wouldn’t have ever done, just because time’s shorter,” Cam’s dad said.
Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin, greeted Cam after practice as well.
“That’s the only reason you like Cam Heyward, because your name is Cam, right?” Tomlin grinned.
Cam might only stand at four feet, but when it comes to talking football, he likes to talk a bigger game.
“They just always have had a decent, OK team,” he said. “Not always like the Browns, trash.”
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