Telangana: Nihal Bitla, the 15-year-old, who was the face of a rare genetic disorder called ‘Progeria’ in India, is no more. He breathed his last on Monday night.

Nihal was at his grandparents’ house at Karimnagar in Telangana to attend a family wedding. On Monday evening, he felt dehydrated due to the scorching heat and had to be rushed to a private hospital for treatment. Within a few hours, he passed away, family sources said.

Progeria or Hutchinson–Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS) aged him eight times faster, making him the first reported case of the disease in India. Nihal, while aged 15, had a body that felt like it was beyond 60-years-old.

Nihal along with his family took the challenge of raising awareness about Progeria. They are continuing their efforts by aiding parents of another progeria-affected child Aditya Sahu, aged three-and-half years.

As many as 124 children are identified to have progeria all over the world. Meanwhile, the Progeria Research Foundation suggests that there are over 250 children out which 60 are in India.

Of the items on Nihal’s wish list, two remained unfulfilled: Disneyland and seeing the Honda ASIMO robot. The third, meeting Bollywood star Aamir Khan, was fulfilled five months ago when Nihal, who was fond of painting, met the actor and gave him one of his paintings.

Nihal aspired to become the Sam Berns of India. Berns who suffered from progeria died in 2014, aged 17. He had a major role in raising awareness about the disease.

Nihal left school on 2009 after which he had taken up painting. During his last two years, he would spend more time on internet surfing looking for other patients of progeria in India.