During her 2013 TED Talk, physician Leslie Gordon recalled how she chose her course of action when faced with heartbreaking news in the summer of 1998. Gordon and her husband learned that their 22-month-old son, Sam, had been diagnosed with progeria, an extremely rare syndrome that causes rapid aging and premature death. There was very little existing research about the disease, or support groups for people affected by it, and Gordon realized she needed to blaze her own trail to advocate for her son and others like him. Gordon created the Progeria Research Foundation, where she and her team continue to reach promising milestones in the search for a cure.