Russia-1, First Federal Russian TV channel, has just broadcast an international scientific program about a fast-aging syndrome and one of the guests is 28-year-old Vietnamese woman Nguyen Thi Phuong who -- due to the mysterious disease -- looks like an 80-year-old.

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Phuong and her husband Nguyen Thanh Tuyen, 34, were warmly welcomed by the Russian audience in Moscow when the couple showed up at the channel’s film studio at 4pm on March 22 (local time).

To make the show more appealing, the organizers also invited local leading doctors in this field, artists, stylist and even a psychic.

Alexander Bronstein, an honored doctor of the Russian Federation, said Phuong’s disease is very rare and there are only 80 similar cases in the world.

Two other fast aging patients including Nuzhan Orgeshbaev, 21, from Kazakhstan and Ekaterina Nezhentseva, 18, from Ukraine were also invited to the program.

At the beginning of the show, MC Mikhail Zelenski pointed to some photos of Phuong when she was young on the TV screen and asked her husband: “Is this Phuong?” and Tuyen immediately said yes.

In addition to Phuong’s rare disease, the audience was also impressed by the true love from her husband. Prior to the show, Russia-1 shot some footage of their romantic moments at several tourist attractions in Moscow such as the Red Square and Moscow River or when they were at a bar in downtown city.

“I could really see their love. It’s so pure and so innocent. One may hardly find the right words to describe it, but this love helps Phuong to believe that one day miracle will happen and she will get rid of her disease,” editor Leyla Alnazarova of the Russia-1 said.

However, Phuong looked a little sad as Sergey Zagraevski, a Russian culture expert, raised a question: “Why have they not yet married after living together for a long time as a couple?” Tuyen responded to him: “I wanted to wed her but she is not ready because she does not want to have ugly wedding photos. We plan to get married when she has got rid of the disease.”

Many people in the studio did not agree with the question, including a female audience member, who said: “The beauty on the inside is more important and I believe that Tuyen loves Phuong for her beautiful soul.”

Psychologist Irina Obukhova said: “I think Phuong is more unfortunate than Ekaterina Nezhentseva. The Ukrainian woman gets used to her old appearance since she was born while Phuong suddenly became an old woman when she was a beautiful young woman. That was really a big shock to her.”

Phuong became more encouraged when patient Ekaterina presented her with a dress she designed and wished Phuong will recover from her disease soon.

Dargo Kusto, a psychic, gave Phuong a silver piece, saying “this is an amulet that gives power to your soul.”

“I’m very happy. I’m really surprised when they gave me so much love,” Phuong told Tuoi Tre after the program.

Phuong turned into an old woman virtually overnight possibly due to mastocytosis in 2011. Her strange disease grabbed international and local newspaper headlines then.

Her travails began in 2008 when her face broke out in a rash and became itchy. She thinks she used to scratch her face even in sleep. Her husband Nguyen Thanh Tuyen got her some medicines but they did not work and he had to take her to a local doctor. Phuong was diagnosed with dermatitis and prescribed some pills. However, after taking them for a week, her face swelled up and hives appeared on her skin. She then stopped taking the medicines and went to some traditional Chinese doctors in town. The medicine they gave reduced the swelling but she says she put on weight. The drugs cost VND30,000 (US$1.5) a day. Soon she had to wear a mask all day.